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You MUST Take the Preacher’s Kids Out of the Crosshairs

5. We are going to pray for them by name.

Soon after I came to my last pastorate, the church where we still belong, a deacon said to me, “Joe, tell me your children’s names. I want to pray for them.”

I told him once, and thereafter, over the years since—that was 1990 or 1991—he will ask about Carla or Marty, whom he may have met once or twice. Our oldest, Neil, he knows as a fellow deacon. Thank you, Mr. Chris Screen, for these decades of prayer for my adult children. (Explanation: Our three were grown by the time we came to this church, with two of them married and living in distant states.)

On the bulletin board in our kitchen is a photo of our pastor and his family. It came with their Christmas card a couple of years back, and it’s been there ever since, a reminder to pray for them. Not every day, perhaps, but frequently I pray for Pastor Mike and Terri, for daughter Bailey and son Michael, and for their married son Bryan, along with his wife, whose name I can never remember. (Sorry, guys.)

I probably have never mentioned to this family that I pray for them regularly. It’s not necessary. What is important is to do it. (Sometimes we seem to think it’s more important to tell someone we’re praying for them than actually doing it. Let’s not be guilty of that.)

What shall we pray for? “The blessings of Heaven upon them” seems to cover it all, unless we know of specific prayer needs. This summer, Bailey has been on a two-month long mission and many of us have lifted her to the Father in prayer. As Michael goes off to college, we will be praying for this critical period in his life.

It’s a privilege.

6. We will not try to shield the pastor’s children from all difficulty.

Every person growing up will have their own share of trials and struggles, frustrations and discouragements; that’s just part of life.

In fact, some of the greatest lessons any of us learn in life—those that go deepest and stay longest—involve some kind of setback or failure.  Every follower of Jesus Christ has to learn that “in my flesh there dwells no good thing,” that “without Jesus, I can do nothing,” and particularly, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Through the years, as my children were growing up, my prayers for them would often include something like this:

“And Father, in church and in school, give them teachers who will treasure them as their mother and I treasure them. Give them friends and teachers who will reinforce the lessons we are trying to teach them through Thy Word. For Jesus’ sake, Amen.”