By Augustus Henry
MANY of us see our children as our legacy, our success vicariously. We try to pass our hopes and dreams of success unto our children. Think about it. The things we thought we could not have, we want our offspring/s to achieve. If by nature our goals are material and vain, that is what we pass on to them. Whether we believe it or not, our children adhere to our influences in one way or another. Bob Marley pushed his son Ziggy into Reggae music and Earl Woods drove his son Tiger into golf. They both lived their fathers’ dreams.
Therefore, it appears that what is important to parents may become important to their children. However, if God does not occupy the foremost place in our lives, that is what will happen with our children. On the contrary, if God is the parents’ priority, then God becomes the children’s priority. In any case, our attitude and life priorities stay with us for generations, whether they are God or Materialistic dispositions. That is why a letter to God on behalf of my children is necessary. It is because I do not want evil to follow my children and great grandchildren for generations.
God will punish the sin of the fathers down to generations
God said to the first parents of Israel, “thou shalt not bow down thyself to them (idols), nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments” (Exodus 20: 5-6).
It means that the consequences or benefits of the behavior and disposition of parents are passed down to generations of offspring. The way you live your life as parents has implications for your great, great grandchildren. General influence and expectations are passed down in many ways – disobedience to God or obedience to God, kindness or an abusive spirit.
Good or bad, the things we hold up as important or the deficits that are prevalent in our lives can remain in our families for a hundred years:
If good character is something you neglect, you are breeding a cycle of immoral children for many decades. If educating your children is low on your list, you are breeding ignorance far into the future. If your children’s education and financial prosperity is placed above obedience to God, you are building a generation of vain children who may never be accountable for their behavior. That is why a message to God for your children is of utmost importance. The reason I am writing to God is for expressing my love and obedience to him, asking him in the process to prosper my children and increase them in finance, in education, in social standing but most of all in godliness. And, I beg God that my children ask the same of him for their children.
My Letter to God for my Children (The Prayer of Jabez)
Dear God,
I was born into poverty, ignorance, immorality, low social standing and all manner of vices when I came upon the scene in this world. But when my fore-parents turned their lives to you, you granted them mercy and relieved their children of gross poverty (indigence). You lifted them from ignorance and provided a path to education. You gave us better living. Now our name is recognized in our community – even our country.
And now Lord, I ask the same for my children: my request to you is like Jabez’s request – that you would enlarge my children’s territory in education, health, social status, even wealth. Protect them for generations from the evils of disease, immoral conduct, even incarceration. Turn them back to your way when they falter. Lift them up when they fall. Teach them your way and how to walk righteously.
I ask Lord that my obedience to you and representation of you to my children may inspire their behavior and habits for 500 years or even eternity.
Sincerely,
Augustus Henry
Your Servant
My request and God’s promise is the same
“Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!” Deut. 5:28. God desires for our children to live righteously, so ask him for that. What I asked of God in my letter is no different from what he has already promised. The Bible says that God will answer anyone who diligently seeks him. He said ask and it shall be given unto you. So, I plead with you to pen a note to God for your children. It might make all the difference in their lives. For at the end of it all, there is eternal life. Don’t let them gain the world and lose their own soul.