May 3
The Most Important Thing (Part One) Psalm 91:3
For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper.
Several years ago, Barbara and I were had the opportunity to enjoy dinner with Dr. James Dobson and his wife, Shirley. Jim is president of Focus on the Family and his radio program is one of the largest of its kind. Shirley, meanwhile, is national chairperson for the National Day of Prayer. Both are very special, godly people. There was one question I always wanted to ask them, and that night I was able to. "What is the most important thing Barbara and I could do as we raise our kids?"
Without hesitation, both Jim and Shirley looked at us and answered with one word: "Pray." And then they told us why they were so confident about their answer.
One night they had gone to bed when, at about 11:15 P.M., they began to feel uneasy about their daughter, Danae. Jim said he fought the urge to fall asleep. Instead they got out of bed, got down on their knees and prayed for Danae.
Later they learned that, at that very moment, Danae and a friend were in a pull-out curve in the mountains-looking over the lights of the cities below and eating a meal. They were just having a good time when a police car came by and shined a light on them. It made them think to lock their doors. As soon as the police car went by, a bearded man crawled out from under their car and grabbed the door handle, attempting to force his way into the car. They quickly switched on the ignition and sped off. "No one will ever convince me that our prayers did not have an impact in that situation," Jim told us.
That story reminded us how important it is to pray for our children. No matter what you do as parents, in the end it is God who is in control.
Prayer: That God would protect your children and deliver them from the snare of evil.
Discuss: What are the greatest needs, challenges and pressures of your children right now?
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