Jairus – Part 2

Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint from hunger at the head of every street. Lamentations 2:19

The story of Jairus is the story of a pleading parent and an ever-present Savior. So, ‘Pour out your heart…before the face of the Lord. Lift your hands towards Him for the life of your…children.’ Parent, you can do this. You can be a loyal advocate and a faithful intercessor. You can bring your parenting fears to Jesus. In fact, if you don’t, you might take your fears out on your children. Fear turns some parents into prison guards who monitor every minute and check the background of every friend. They stifle growth and communicate distrust. A family with no breathing room suffocates a child. On the other hand, fear can also create permissive parents. For fear that their child will feel too confined or fenced in, they lower all boundaries. High on hugs and low on discipline, they don’t realize that appropriate discipline is an expression of love. Permissive parents or paranoid parents – how can you avoid those extremes? Pray! Jesus said so little about parenting, yet His actions speak volumes about prayer. Each time a parent prays, Christ responds. The big message in this story is: when your child is in crisis, turn to Jesus. But don’t wait for a crisis to come. When you send them off to school each day, do so with a blessing. When you tell them good night, cover them in prayer. When they’re stumped by a homework assignment they can’t handle, pray with them about it. Pray that your children will have a profound sense of their place in this world, and a heavenly place in the next one.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, in prayer help me in my parenting and all relationships. In Jesus’ Name, Amen