A Prayer for Grandparents
By Emma Danzey
Proverbs 17:6 says, “Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.”
Whether you are a grandparent yourself or you have grandparents in your life, this verse reminds us of the joyful season and the value of the parents of parents. The Proverb says that grandchildren are a crown to the aged. When I think about the joy of my parents and in-laws entering this season, I smile. I am delighted to watch how they step into this new time with such anticipation and excitement.
Many times, grandparents are no longer the disciplinarians, the ones responsible for nighttime feeds, or on call for each diaper change, but they are gifted with being there as lifetime encouragers, givers of wisdom, givers of many cuddles, compassion, and generosity. They are passing the torch to the next generations, and it is an incredible experience. Not all grandparents play the same role. There are definitely some who do play more of a parental role in their grandchild’s life, but there is still a sweet difference because of the gift of being the generation above. Today, we are going to pray over the grandparents in our lives. This is a unique role, and not only that, but a calling from God. Grandparents get the opportunity to disciple their children in this season and disciple their grandchildren towards the gospel through their testimony, words, and actions.
Let's pray:
Lord God,
Thank You so much for the grandparents in our lives. Thank You that You say that they are still bearing fruit in their old age. (Psalm 92:14) and that You say from everlasting to everlasting, Your love is with those who fear You and Your righteousness with our children’s children. (Psalm 103:17) We pray over the generations in our families today. We ask that those who are grandparents would experience great honor and press into the calling that You have entrusted to them.
We pray for grandparents to be like Lois was to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:5. Help their sincere faith to be lived out in front of this new generation. Help it to be taught, encouraged, and modeled. Help grace and truth to abide in grandparents' homes and in their visits. Help grandparents to have memories that they share of Your faithfulness to every generation in their families.
Guide grandparents in the balance of yes and no. Help them to know what boundaries to have in their own lives and ministries. Give them wisdom on how to love well but not to be over or under-involved. Bless them with peace and patience. Help them to reinforce the honor of their children to their grandchildren. Lead them with thoughtful words to help them to learn the principles of honoring their father and mother.
Help parents to value grandparents and not to cast them off in their aging. (Psalm 71:9) Help them to love them well. Give parents the heart to value the depth of wisdom from godly grandparents or godly grandparent types in their children’s lives. Give them an urgency for their children to learn from them and be around them to glean from their lives. If any grandparents are struggling in their old age, remind them that You will carry them (Isaiah 46:4), that You are faithful to every generation (Psalm 100:5), and that gray hair is a crown of splendor. (Proverbs 16:31)
Help grandparents to know that the greatest gift that they can pass on is their legacy of faith in Christ and their character. Even if this has not been the case for their whole lives, we pray that grandparents everywhere would see this as a redeeming opportunity to follow Jesus and to walk with Him at this time in their lives. You are not done using them. We pray against that lie. We pray that they would feel valued and be filled up with Your Holy Spirit to be witnesses to their grandchildren of the gospel. We pray for health and well-being so that they can participate in wonderful ways. We pray that Your name would be made known through this role that You have bestowed upon them. Amen.
Photo credit: Irina Murza/Unsplash Stock footage Soundstripe.com
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Originally published Wednesday, 01 November 2023.
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