Heartprints

Praying God’s word

 

When my children were babies and toddlers I would sing to them and pray for them as I rocked them to sleep. One of my daughter’s favorites was I have decided to follow Jesus. She would toddle around the house singing, “I faalllow Je….sus…” I loved hearing her sing and so did her grandparents and great- grandparents. 

As they out grew singing and bedtime stories, one thing I could always do with them no matter their age was pray with them. Looking back now, I think I probably drove them crazy praying for them.  I would pray for them before bed, on the way to school, in the car, before dinner, before a game or test; we prayed.  

The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Over the years, I have prayed many different prayers for them. But, there was one prayer in particular that I prayed quite often – it was that God would send His angels to spread their wings of protection over them.

In Psalm 91:4 it says, He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. Picturing God covering them with His feathers giving them refuge under his wings is such a beautiful example of his great love.

As they left my care and began facing the challenges of this world it just seemed more imperative to ask God for his provision and protection over them. However, I never expected him to answer the way he did on one particular day.

When my daughter was about ten years old, my grandma, her great-grandma lost her battle with Alzheimer’s. She loved hearing my daughter sing, especially, I have decided to follow Jesus.

So it didn’t surprise me that the day she passed away, my daughter would offer to sing it for her funeral. I wasn’t sure with her being so young that it was a good idea. But, she insisted.

The day of the funeral, I asked her if she still wanted to sing. And she said yes. As we got to the chapel, the enormity of grief hit her as she got up to sing. She made it through the first stanza and then her voice cracked, tears welled up in her eyes and sorrow took over. She immediately looked to me for help.

I jumped up and put my arms around her and asked the congregation to join us in singing. My grandma, was a believer and we knew she was whole and in heaven. But saying goodbye is so final.

After the funeral we went back to my parent’s home to spend time with family and friends. As is the custom of so many southern funerals, everyone brought food for us. I knew the kids were exhausted and hungry. So I prodded them to go get something to eat. But, my daughter was sad and didn’t want anything. So, I urged her to go into the kitchen and at least get something to drink.

However, less than a minute later, she came right back to me and said, “Mom, I feel better and I just saw an angel.”  She wasn’t dramatic or excited.  She was calm and matter of fact, as if this was an everyday occurrence.

However, my response wasn’t quite so calm. In a loud whisper I said, “What! You saw an angel! Where?”

Her reply was, “In the kitchen.”

Repeating back to her in shock I said, “You saw an angel in the kitchen!”

 “Yes, and I feel better,” she said.

Absolutely stunned I replied, “Well what did the angel look like? What was the angel doing? Could you draw it?”

To which she replied, “Sure and he was just standing there smiling at me and then he left.”

Our pastor was still at the house. So I went to him and asked him what he thought about an angel being in my mom’s kitchen and showing himself to my daughter, as I was a bit stunned.

He smiled at me and said, “Yes that is possible. Angels have been known to accompany the grieving.”

I had prayed for years since my children were babies that God would send His angels to spread their wings of protection over them. So why would I be stunned when he did just that?

God has protected my children time and time again. From car accidents to illnesses, he has given us grace. That day he literally sent his angel to show himself to my daughter.

Do hard and unexplainable things happen to us? Yes. Have they happened to me and my children? Yes. But through it all God has been our foundation.

It is imperative to pray for our children. The Bible tells us in Psalm 91:11, “For he will command his angels concerning you in all your ways.” (NIV)

Again in Luke 4:10-11, the Bible tells us, “He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” (NIV)

That day was the first time my daughter ever had to deal with death. God knew she needed comfort and He used one of his angels to do it.

Hebrews 1:14 says, Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

God loves us and he wants us to pray to him and to pray his scriptures back to him. All those years of praying for him to send his angels to spread their wings of protection over my children, and he not only did that, but he was gracious enough to show it.

Sherry Shepherd is an experienced, adaptable professional specialized in writing for faith-based organizations. She has worked as an editor and writer for newspaper, movie guides, publishing houses, churches and several non-profits. Her scope of work includes corporate and fundraising materials, advertising, web, brochures, booklets, books, blogs and biblical training materials. However, her heart is drawn to any type of creative writing, where she can motivate while conveying a biblical message and telling a story. Sherry is the mother of three grown children, who have been the source of some of her greatest joy, laughter and material!

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