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The high places are my favorite. It is there that I can listen, focus and regroup from whatever life threw at me in the months past. This particular spot is a familiar one. Several years ago I stood on this same lake as my much younger daughter tried to catch one inch fish with her hands. I wrote about that here. Last week both my girls provided a hearty fish lunch from their 8-12 inch catches. My girls are growing up.
Way. Too. Fast.
During my devotions one morning I read a prayer that General Douglas MacArthur wrote for his son. I have a son. I made a copy of that prayer and am going to stick it in my bible. I will share that prayer with you at the end of this post. However, what my heart also desired was to have a prayer for my daughters tucked away in the pages of my bible too. So I read a few passages of scripture and prayed for my girls.
This is what I prayed:
Way. Too. Fast.
During my devotions one morning I read a prayer that General Douglas MacArthur wrote for his son. I have a son. I made a copy of that prayer and am going to stick it in my bible. I will share that prayer with you at the end of this post. However, what my heart also desired was to have a prayer for my daughters tucked away in the pages of my bible too. So I read a few passages of scripture and prayed for my girls.
This is what I prayed:
Fashion me a daughter, O Lord,
who will cloth herself
with strength and dignity,
and puts on humility to serve others,
knowing that the only honor she may receive is from You;
a daughter who is trustworthy and full of wisdom
when the foolishness of this world tries to sweep her off her feet.
Fashion me a daughter whose teeth are servants of God
not arrows to pierce and put down;
one who laughs without fear of the future
and who boldly walks through the doors of opportunity
opened by Your hands only.
Direct her steps, I pray, to walk through the refining fires
of hardships that expose her pride
and lead her from the valleys to the high places
where she will find where her help comes from.
Here let her exposed heart be purified;
here may she find the courage to rise out of the ashes
and embrace the beauty within
knowing who she is and whose she is . . .
Your beloved.
Fashion me a daughter whose banner over her is love;
a love that radiates through her:
extending her arms to the needy, shining kindness through her eyes
yet strong of faith and full of wisdom
being careful not to allow others to take advantage of her.
May she love well and be loved well by one who recognizes
she is more precious than rubies.
And when, according to the standards of this world,
her beauty begins to fade, may she count
her blessings daily and may they be as stepping stones
of grace, compassion, mercy, strength, wisdom and peace
for herself as she prepares to meet her Savior
and for others traveling a little behind her on their journey.
Then my mother's heart will find complete rest at the feet of the one we both call
Father, Savior, and Redeemer.
Amen
And they are off before I am ready to let them go. The oldest first, then the middle one, and finally that dreaded day when the youngest packs her bags with all we have poured into her and sets off.
Lord hear our prayers for our children!
Below is the prayer I mentioned earlier that General Douglas MacArthur prayed for his son. Feel free to copy and paste both prayers and stick them in your bible also as a daily reminder to pray for our children.
Lord hear our prayers for our children!
Below is the prayer I mentioned earlier that General Douglas MacArthur prayed for his son. Feel free to copy and paste both prayers and stick them in your bible also as a daily reminder to pray for our children.
Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to
know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself
when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending
in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.
Build me a son whose wishbone will not be where his
backbone should be; a son who will know Thee and that
to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.
Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort,
but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge.
Here let him learn to stand up in the storm, here
let him learn compassion for those who fail.
Build me a son whose heart will be clean, whose goal
will be high; a son who will master himself before he
seeks to master other men; one who will learn to laugh,
yet never forget how to weep; one who will reach into the
future, yet never forget the past.
And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough
of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet
never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so
that he may always remember the simplicity of greatness,
the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.
Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, "I have not lived in vain."
know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself
when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending
in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.
Build me a son whose wishbone will not be where his
backbone should be; a son who will know Thee and that
to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.
Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort,
but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge.
Here let him learn to stand up in the storm, here
let him learn compassion for those who fail.
Build me a son whose heart will be clean, whose goal
will be high; a son who will master himself before he
seeks to master other men; one who will learn to laugh,
yet never forget how to weep; one who will reach into the
future, yet never forget the past.
And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough
of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet
never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so
that he may always remember the simplicity of greatness,
the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.
Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, "I have not lived in vain."
| Blessings, Rachael |  |
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