September 24

Isaiah 43:14-45:10; Ephesians 3:1-21; Psalm 68:1-18; Psalm 24:1-2

Our nation, though blessed by God in many ways, has been moving away from God and toward idol worship. There is little in our culture to draw our children to God. They are growing up distracted by games and toys and cell phones.

The children growing up in Isaiah’s lifetime were living in a culture not all that different from ours. It was a pagan society, for Israel had abandoned her devotion to the God of Israel. And she would soon be going into captivity in Babylon where the God of Israel was not known.

And here in Isaiah 44 we find wonderful promises to pray for our children—pagan culture and cell phones, distracted by games and toys and all.

I don’t remember exactly when I discovered these verses in Isaiah, but somewhere in my children’s youth, I began praying these words for them. I prayed that the God who formed them would also help them (Is. 44:2). I asked for the Holy Spirit to be poured out on my children and for the Lord’s blessing to be given to my descendants (vs. 3). I prayed that my descendants would be as numerous as grass springing up in a meadow (vs. 4) (and with twenty-three direct descendants I’m seeing this come true—thank you, Lord). And I also prayed these most important words in verse 5: “One will say, ‘I belong to the Lord’; another will call himself by the name of Jacob; still another will write on his hand, ‘The LORD’s,’ and will take the name Israel.”

And then verse 6: “This is what the LORD says—Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and the last; apart from me there is no God” (Is. 44:6). I prayed that my descendants would know that apart from the LORD Almighty there is no God.

If I have no inheritance to leave my children (and I hope I will), the very best thing I could leave with them is a knowledge of the Holy God. My fondest hope and prayer is that each of my descendants would know and love the Lord Jesus Christ and live his/her whole life for Him and His glory. Nothing could be better. There is nothing greater I could hope and pray for them—not riches, not fame, not world leadership, not a happy family nor a satisfying job—nothing compares with knowing the God who made them and loves them.

Have these promises all come true for my family? No. I have some descendants who don’t yet follow the God who made them.

Does that change my prayers? Not one bit. I still pray these same words for my children, and now for my grandchildren.

“May each of our children write on their hands—'The LORD’s'. May each one of our descendants love and serve you, O Lord. Amen.”

- Nell Sunukjian

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