Paul’s Songs: Steve’s Story – Fear or Confidence? By pastor and artist Steve Easterwood, Kirksville, MO

But God makes you strong March 4, 2026

Romans 16:25, 27 Now all glory to God, who is able to make you strong. … All glory to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, forever. Amen.

I met Steve in high school, when we both participated in the youth group at our church. He has a particular prayer burden for Ukraine. Pastor Steve is a gifted artist. See more of his work at SteveEasterwood.com. He invites you to email him at SteveEasterwood@gmail.com.

Above: The Christmas Rose, by Steve Easterwood How many symbols representing Jesus can you see in this painting?

Right: Mary, by Steve Easterwood. What stands out to you?

Here is Steve’s story:

Sometimes people who are not yet believers in Jesus ask me, “What difference does Christ make in your life?” He makes all the difference in the world!

In December 2020, I was having some minor swallowing issues, and after a scope, I was told that I had a seven-inch cancerous tumor wrapped around my esophagus.

We all wonder on those sleepless nights how we’ll respond if the diagnosis is cancer. I was no different. There were nights when I wondered the same thing. That night, as was my practice, I prayed and committed my situation to the Lord. I told Him that my life was in His hands and that I trusted Him, whatever His decision about my fate. With that, I fell asleep.

The next morning, I received a notification from my watch that I had experienced the best night of sleep I’d had in four months! How can that happen the night after you receive a serious cancer diagnosis?

I fell asleep absolutely convinced that my situation would have one of three outcomes:

First, God could heal me. I firmly believe that the God of the Bible still heals today.

Second, Jesus could return and take me home.

Third, I could die and, as the Bible says, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). When someone dies, people say, “He lost his battle to cancer.” But where’s the loss? There are only three outcomes, and each one is a win for me!

That’s how you sleep like a baby after you’ve had a cancer diagnosis. So far, God has chosen option number one. He is still Jehovah-Rapha, God the healer.

Recently, I found out that the five-year survival rate for my type and stage of cancer is 0%. Yet, here I am, still alive today. I believe that God still has a mission for me to accomplish. Until that mission is finished, nothing, including cancer, can take my life. When that mission has been accomplished, nothing can keep me alive for another second.

Until the time when God chooses to take me home, I will put all my energy into taking as many people to heaven with me as possible. I’m 71 years old. There’s a party waiting for me soon in heaven. Until that time, I plan to share God’s message of Good News so that people can be confident about where they will spend eternity. My question to you is this: How would you sleep on a cancer diagnosis? If you have faith in God, you won’t have to fear the outcome, and you can sleep like a baby!

Give Thanks by Don Moen

Paul’s Songs: Praise while suffering

But Jesus changed everything

Acts 16:22-25 The [Philippian] city officials ordered Paul and Silas stripped and severely beaten with wooden rods. Then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. So he put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks. Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening.

Last week some friends and I discussed how to deal with anger in our lives. I confessed that almost daily, my first reaction when I see or hear about cruelty and injustice isn’t praise; it’s profound frustration and anger. Frustration because of a feeling of helplessness, and anger because of how wrong it is to mistreat any of God’s beloveds, those for whom Jesus laid down his life. That is, every person. Sometimes I can’t sleep because of worry about who will be targeted next.

You too?

So I’m challenged by Paul and Silas’s reaction when they themselves were victims of cruelty and injustice. You can read the whole story in Acts 16. They suffered for doing good, for freeing a slave girl from bondage to a demon. Her owners lashed out against Paul and Silas because of greed: this girl had earned them a lot of money by telling fortunes.

I realize I’m writing this post primarily to myself! Would I sing and worship in the middle of the night if I were locked in a jail cell, my body aching from severe beating, my feet trapped in stocks making sleep impossible? How could Paul and Silas do this?

Flipping back to Paul’s conversion story in Acts 9, in verse 16 the Lord says, “I will tell Saul [who became Paul] how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.” Paul embraced the Gospel with his eyes wide open. No “health and wealth” promise here. Paul knew what following Jesus would mean for him. The treatment he and Silas received in Philippi was neither a surprise nor an isolated event.

Paul’s writings give us some other clues to why he could sing and worship in such dire circumstances. He considered suffering a privilege; in cahoots with Jesus in this way, he could draw closer to his Lord’s loving heart (2 Corinthians 1:5).

God taught Paul valuable lessons through his suffering:

We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely on God … We have placed our confidence in him. … We have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom (2 Corinthians 1:8-12).

God clarified Paul’s values: My old self has been crucified with Christ. … So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20).

Singing and praise in the face of injustice and cruelty is above all an expression of trust. God is still sovereign. God is good, though people often are not. He already told us the end of this story: his justice will ultimately defeat evil perpetrated by the present but temporary ruler of this world, the enemy of our souls.

Further, while careful listening to our anger may clarify appropriate action to take in response, the first law of the Kingdom is love (John 13:34). Even for bad actors, as Paul himself was before his “But God” moment as he traveled the road to Damascus to kill the Lord’s followers there (Acts 9:1, 3). Won’t it be fun to hear stories of God’s grace coming out of the world’s present circumstances?

Today, all this is clear to me. I’m praying the Spirit will remind me to trust him and sing in the face of whatever darkness descends tomorrow.

Mary’s song of joy

Mary’s song of joy

But God notices

Luke 1:46-55

Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.

How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!

For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,

And from now on all generations will call me blessed.

For the Mighty One is holy,

And he has done great things for me.

I saved Mary’s song for this week because the theme of Advent 3 is joy. Few songs in Scripture are as joy-filled as the Magnificat as Mary praises the Lord with her whole being.

When our daughter Karis was thirteen, she imagined what it might be like to be Mary and wrote what she called “Mary’s Diary.” It’s available as a booklet, which I’ll be glad to mail to anyone upon request.

Karis imagined Mary writing:

“I guess that’s when God seems the greatest: when he takes a nobody (like me) and makes something out of them. Oh, thank you, God, for your amazing grace … Oh, even this moment, I praise the Lord. Jehovah gave me a song that I have written down, and I am singing it back to him every day. … Oh, how my soul praises the Lord! All my fears for myself have been put to rest. How amazing is Jehovah.”

What song can you sing to the Lord today, from delight at his work in your life?

Magnificat (with Wexford Carol), Keith and Kristyn Getty

“Here I raise my Ebenezer” by Bonnie Budzowski, author

But God wants us to remember and tell how he has helped us

1 Samuel 7:12 Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer (which means “the stone of help”), for he said, “Up to this point the Lord has helped us!”

[Debbie] I’m delighted to introduce you to Bonnie Budzowski, who offers not just a blog post but a whole book dedicated to noticing, remembering, and sharing with others what God does in our lives. I asked her to do this for Thanksgiving since it’s such a perfect time to begin a lifestyle of intentional honoring of the Lord in this way. As always, I would love for you to share your “But God …” story with me and with the readers of this blog.

Here’s Bonnie:

Sometimes I purchase a greeting card that I’m reluctant to send. It might be the perfect picture, the sentiment, or both that I want to hold onto. Is it a sin to hoard a greeting card?

Once such card features a photograph of a young girl reading from a book. The girl looks to be about six years old. She is happily reading to a dog that is bigger than she is. The dog sits with rapt attention, his pink tongue hanging out of his dog-smile.

The sentiment below the photo is a quote attributed to the poet and activist Muriel Rukeyser: The universe is made of stories, not atoms.

For more than fifteen years, my job as principal of Gravitas Press was to act as a story whisperer, to help people find and articulate their stories in compelling ways. Even before those years, I knew I would one day write a book chronicling the stories of God’s surprising grace in my life. I knew the project would wait until I was near retirement.

What I didn’t know was that in the process of writing the book, something new and fresh would once again surprise me. I would discover a spiritual discipline that is largely missing in people who are otherwise devout Christians.

I discovered that God’s people have always intentionally created memorials to commemorate God’s acts in their history.

For example, following encounters with God and his promises, Abraham built altars. Jacob anointed the stone he used as a pillow the night he saw angels climbing a ladder between heaven and earth. Joshua instructed representatives from the twelve tribes of Israel to each contribute a stone to create a memorial to mark the miraculous crossing of Jordan River. Samuel set up a stone memorial to mark the time God sent a display of raucous thunder to defeat the Philistine army. Samuel called his memorial ebenezer, a word meaning “stone of help.” The psalmists continued the tradition, using words rather than stones. And Jesus commanded we practice a meal of remembrance.

What’s the purpose of this pattern of remembrance? It’s to ground us in the biblical story of God’s work and repeatedly draw us back to trusting in God’s faithfulness. Ebenezer Chronicles: The Missing Spiritual Practice invites you to consider what might happen if you added a practice of intentional remembering into your prayer life, around your table, and in your everyday conversations. It’s also a collection of stories of God’s amazing grace in my broken life. It’s a book in which God is the hero.

Ebenezer Chronicles, The Missing Spiritual Practice is available at Amazon.com. To read the first chapter, visit me here and learn about workshops for your group, including a virtual book club.

“Here I raise my Ebenezer …” Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, sung by Chris Tomlin

What does obedience look like?

But God’s Spirit teaches us

Ezekiel 36:26-27 [A message from the Sovereign Lord] “I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.”

John 14:15-17, 26 [Jesus told his disciples at the last supper] “If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. … He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”

While waiting in stillness for a worship service to begin, my heart and hands open to what the Lord would offer me that day, God’s Spirit told me clearly, “It’s time to let this go.”

Shutterstock: Wanan Wanan

For years, I had struggled with my relationship with a member of this church. This person had moved away, yet every time I walked into the building, I still automatically steeled myself, still reacted to memories of difficult encounters with that person in this place. In word and intent, I had forgiven her, yet my soul had not released her.

“How do I let this go?” I asked Spirit.

“Give her to me.”

I did, and just like that, the anguish of years lifted and has not returned.

Why did it take so long? Had my deep sense of injury dulled me to Spirit’s prior attempts to free me from this burden? Likely. I don’t know. Perhaps I was just ready to hear and obey Spirit’s prompting to release a root of bitterness in my heart.

We all obey.

The question is who, or what, holds authority over us. Our lives reflect whoever, or whatever, we bow to: our own inclinations and desires and perceived injustices, the influences and pressures of our culture and society, the temptations fashioned to match our individual vulnerabilities by the enemy of our souls, the urge to conform to our peer group …

Or, the King of Love, our Shepherd, creator, redeemer, advocate, and teacher, who wants us to live in freedom and joy.

The King of Love My Shepherd Is, John Rutter (Scroll down for the lyrics of this beautiful Irish hymn.)

Right place, right time?

But God’s Spirit has special powers!

Ezekiel 8:3 The Spirit transported me to the north gate of the inner courtyard of the Temple in Jerusalem …

Acts 8:39-40 When Philip and the eunuch came up out of the water [after Philip baptized the eunuch], the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing. Meanwhile, Philip found himself farther north at the town of Azotus. He preached the Good News there and in every town along the way until he came to Caesarea.

Getting from point A to point B in the city of São Paulo, Brazil (22 million people in one metropolis) can be tricky. Once after Dave traveled to another part of Brazil, a pastor friend died. Dave asked me to attend the funeral in his place. The catch: I would have to drive to the (for me) confusing and intimidating eastern zone of the city.

A view of one slice of São Paulo

I dropped our kids off at school and started out. I didn’t have a cell phone or GPS. I had a thick book of maps, each one a small piece of the city. The night before, I had pored over the maps, figuring out which page to go to from the previous page to take me to my destination. As you can imagine, this is much easier to manage with a navigator next to you!

On my way, I nervously watched at one intersection a car being burglarized. (Whenever possible, one doesn’t stop at intersections in São Paulo). A kilometer or so later, a car in flames in the middle of an intersection stopped traffic in all directions. I had to recalculate my carefully charted map plan to accommodate this detour, and then another: a road closure for construction. And then another, this time a three-car accident.

When I finally arrived at the church, the service was over, and mourners had moved to the cemetery. I navigated to the cemetery and found the correct grave site, only to see the last cars departing. I wasn’t able even to greet the pastor’s family to convey our condolences.

I took a deep breath, recalculated my return trip, and set out once again, arriving at our children’s school late enough to cause them anxiety. No cell phone, remember? As they climbed into the car (“Mommy, where were you?”), I sat trembling, so grateful I had made it back safely: no accident, no burglary, no car theft or breakdown, no getting lost—thanks to my trusty book of maps. Just a “wasted” day filled with “Lord, help me! Protect me!” prayers.

So, when I read about the Holy Spirit picking up Ezekiel and transporting him from place to place (eight times! Ezekiel 2:2, 3:12, 3:14, 8:3, 11:1, 11:24, 37:1, 43:5) and recall our long days of travel last week to Bogotá and back, I feel just a bit jealous. Except for the one where the Spirit took Ezekiel by the hair (8:3). And I’m not sure I want my destination to be a valley filled with dry bones (37:1), even in this month of Halloween, the American holiday I have never understood.

The thing is, God showed Ezekiel something important at each of the places he found himself snatched away to. So, I asked, “What did I learn from my apparently worthless trek across São Paulo?” I failed in my mission—to offer solidarity and comfort to the grieving family of a friend. I caused my children considerable anxiety when I didn’t show up at the end of their school day.

I realize now, though, two things: I have deep empathy for those who must drive to work in São Paulo every day, like my son-in-law. Moreover, I recognize that at no moment in that solitary challenge was I alone. The Holy Spirit accompanied, steadied, and guided me and brought me home safely. I see this now as a “dry run” for so many times after that when I had to navigate life alone, especially during the difficult Karis years when each day held enormous challenges.

But no, I wasn’t alone. For the Holy Spirit faithfully shepherded me, through each moment and each place Karis’s journey took us.

Breath of Heaven, Amy Grant

Hey, remember 750 years ago?

But God’s Spirit gives us rest

Isaiah 63:10-14 But they rebelled against him and grieved his Holy Spirit. … Then they remembered those days of old when Moses led his people out of Egypt. They cried out, “Where is the one who brought Israel through the sea, with Moses as their shepherd? Where is the one who sent his Holy Spirit to be among his people? … As with cattle going down into a peaceful valley, the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest.

Isaiah 12:4-5 Tell the nations what God has done. Let them know how mighty he is! Sing to the Lord, for he has done wonderful things. Make known his praise around the world.

The theme of remembering we considered in the last post continues in Isaiah 63, when Isaiah looks back 750 years to Moses leading the people of Israel in their great exodus from slavery in Egypt. Isaiah cries out for the Lord to show himself anew in his time as he did way back then.

Timeline by Anthony Scott Ingram. Isaiah prophesied approximately 750-700 BC. The Exodus occurred approximately 1500 BC.

Think about that for a moment. What do you know about your history 750 years ago, in 1275 AD? That date means nothing to me. I asked Google what was going on in the world back then:

“In 1275 CE, the English King Edward I issued the Statute of Westminster to define landowners’ rights, the Marinids captured Algiers, and a significant British earthquake occurred. In the East, Kublai Khan sent more ambassadors to Japan, leading to the execution of messengers and prompting the Japanese to fortify Hakata Bay. Marco Polo reached China and entered the service of Kublai Khan, beginning his significant journey across Asia …”

Then I asked Google what was happening in Christianity in 1275 AD:

“In 1275 CE, a key event was the arrival of Marco Polo in China, where he presented letters from the previous Pope, Gregory X, to Kublai Khan. This followed the Second Council of Lyon in 1274, which Pope Gregory X had convened to attempt to reunite the Eastern and Western churches but ultimately failed to provide a lasting solution to the Great Schism.”

The Great Schism, I learned, “was the formal separation of the Roman Catholic Church in the West from the Eastern Orthodox churches in the East in 1054, a division that continues to this day.” A rupture in God’s family never repaired, except perhaps in individual relationships.

What I can’t ask Google is what was happening in my ancestors’ lives 750 years ago. Did they love and serve the Lord? Did they see him do mighty acts on their behalf?

What was God doing among his people in 1275 AD, not just in major historical ways, but personally? I don’t know. I don’t even know my own family story—not in any detail—past two generations before me. We haven’t done a great job of passing down from generation to generation God’s great acts in our lives.

I can’t change the legacy I received. But I can change the legacy I pass on, by recording the miracles God has done in my life; the works of the Spirit that I have witnessed. I want my great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren to have a record they can look back to, as Isaiah looked back to Moses: a testimony to God’s faithfulness that may bolster confidence that he sees and cares for them too.

In the long run, this may be one of the most important things I ever do. You too?

When I wrote the Karis book, I was thinking only of my grandchildren, yet unborn. Perhaps, though, later generations will read it. If they do, I hope they will see that God is alive, active, and attuned to their needs as he was to ours. I hope they realize he sees them.

Our youngest little this week, turning 3.

Lord, look down from heaven; look from your holy, glorious home, and see us. Where is the passion and the might you used to show on our behalf? Where are your mercy and compassion now? Surely you are still our Father! … Return and help us, for we are your servants (Isaiah 63:15-17).

Peace like a river

But God’s Spirit tells us what matters to the Father

Isaiah 48:16-18, 22 And now the Sovereign Lord and his Spirit have sent me with this message. “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow. Oh, that you had listened to my commands! Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea.

The wonderful song “I’ve got peace like a river” has a prerequisite: obedience to the Lord.

Shutterstock: Elena_Alex_Ferns

This idea isn’t always popular. But even Jesus had to practice obedience to his Father (Hebrews 3:2, 5:8).

I just read through the book of Hebrews. Here are a few of the statements and instructions that stood out to me, that I need to embrace and obey:

Jesus’s throne endures forever. He rules with a scepter of justice (1:8). No human authority can take his place in our hearts.
Today, when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts (3:7). Keep my heart soft and receptive to the Lord (3:10). Deal with any bitterness or anger (12:15).
For the Word of God is alive and powerful … he is the one to whom we are accountable(4:12-13). When Scripture teaches something different from what others are saying, I must obey Scripture.
Solid food [of God’s Word] is for the mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong (5:14). Lord, keep growing me and teaching me.
Keep on loving others as long as life lasts(6:11). Don’t give in to the hate, slander, rude speech, and categorizing of others as “evil” so prominent in public discourse today. Give others honor and respect. Don’t speak disparagingly about others. Don’t assume that I know their hearts.
I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins … the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds (8:12, 9:14). Don’t keep grudges or hold on to hurts, even against myself.
Christ said [to his Father], “Look, I have come to do your will” (10:9). If even Jesus was obedient to the Father, how much more I must be.
We can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus … let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him(10:19-22; 4:16). Several times the author of Hebrews reminds us of our welcome in the very presence of God, because Jesus opened the way for us. This is faith: trusting God’s judgment over my own.
Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works (10:24). Not to acts of harm or violence.
Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us (10:29). When I see people behaving badly, even those claiming to do so in God’s holy name, I should feel compassion, because their judgment is coming. As God gives me mercy, I must extend mercy to others.
They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth … looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. … God has prepared a city for them (11:13-16). Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” So I should not let myself get tangled up in earthly affairs to the point of failing to invest in the world that will last forever (12:2, 13:14; 2 Cor 5:1, Col 3:2, 2 Tim 2:3-4).
Think of all the hostility Jesus endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up (12:3). This encouragement not to give up is a word I need to hear every day.
Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life … Look after each other(12:14-15). No matter what is going on around me. “Everyone” is inclusive!
Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking to us from heaven. … Let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe (12:25-28). Tender, thankful heart.
Keep on loving each other … brothers and sisters, strangers, those in prison, those being mistreated (13:1-3). Those whom our society is treating as if they are sub-human, without the rights we insist on for ourselves.

Now may the God of peace …

equip you with all you need for doing his will.

May he produce in you through the power of Jesus Christ

every good thing that is pleasing to him.

(Hebrews 13:20-21)

Prayers of blessing for our children

But God’s Spirit blesses our children

Isaiah 44:3; 59:21 For I will pour out water to quench your thirst and to irrigate your parched fields. And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your children. … “And this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit will not leave them, and neither will these words I have given you. They will be on your lips and on the lips of your children and your children’s children forever.

This is a quick post to make up for missing last week while I was traveling.

Shutterstock: Studio Romantic

Recently, one of our mission teammate’s father, Dr. Roger Gulick, died from cancer. Part of Roger’s legacy follows. We can partner with the Holy Spirit by blessing children in this way.

Biblical Virtues to Pray for Kids (whatever their age)

From ENCOURAGE by Roger Gulick, 2025

1. Salvation. “Lord, let salvation spring up within my children that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory” (Is. 45:8, 2 Tim. 2:10).

2. Growth in grace. “I pray that my children may grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ “(2 Pet. 3:18).

3. Love. “Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to live a life of love, through the Spirit of God who dwells in them” (Gal. 5:25, Eph. 5:2).

4. Honesty and Integrity. “May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection” (Ps. 25:21).

5. Self-control. “Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be alert and self-controlled in all they do” (1 Thes. 5:6).

6. Love for God’s Word. “May my children grow to find Your Word more precious than much pure gold and sweeter than honey from the comb” (Ps. 19:10).

7. Justice. “God, help my children to love justice as You do and act justly in all they do” (Ps.11:5, Mic. 6:8).

8. Mercy. “May my children always be merciful, just as their heavenly Father is merciful” (Lk. 6:36).

9. Respect (for self, others, authority). “Father, grant that my children may show proper respect to everyone, as Your Word commands” (1 Pet. 2:17).

10. Biblical self-esteem. “Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:10).

11. Faithfulness. “Let love and faithfulness never leave my children, but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts” (Prov. 3:3)

12. Courage. “May my children always be strong and courageous in their character and in their actions” (Deut. 31: 6).

13. Purity. “Create in them a pure heart, O God, and let that purity of heart show in their actions” (Ps. 51:10).

14. Kindness. “Lord, may my children always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else” (1 Thess 5:15).

15. Generosity. “Grant that my children may be generous and willing to share, and so lay-up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age” (1 Tim 6:18-19).

16. Peace-loving. “Father, let my children make every effort to do what leads to peace” (Rom. 14:19).

17. Joy. “May my children be filled with the joy given by the Holy Spirit (1 Thes. 1:6).

18. Humility. “God, please cultivate in my children the ability to show true humility toward all” (Titus 3:2).

19. Responsibility. “Grant that my children may learn responsibility, for each one should carry his own load” (Gal. 6:5).

20. Compassion. “Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion” (Col.3:12).

21. Contentment. “Father, teach my children the secret of being content in any and every situation, through Him who gives them strength” (Phil. 4:12-13).

22. Faith. “I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children’s hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them” (Luke 17:5-6. Heb. 11:1-40).

23. A servant’s heart. “God, please help my children develop servants’ hearts that they may serve wholeheartedly, as if they were serving the Lord, not men” (Eph. 6:7).

24. Hope. “May the God of hope grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 13:15).

25. Willingness and ability to work. “Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work at it with all their heart, as work for the Lord, not for men” (Col. 4:23).

26. Passion for God. “Lord, please instill in my children a soul that “follows hard after You” (Ps. 63:8), one that clings passionately to You.”

27. Self-discipline. “Father, I pray that my children may acquire a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair” (Prov. 1:3).

28. Prayerfulness. “Grant, Lord, that my children’s lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Eph. 6:18).

29. Gratitude. “Help my children to live lives that are always overflowing with thankfulness and always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 5:20, Col. 2:7).

30. A heart for missions. “Lord, please help my children to develop a desire to see Your glory declared among the nations, Your marvelous deeds among all peoples” (Ps. 6:3).

31. Perseverance. “Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to run with perseverance the race marked out for them”(Heb. 12:1).

And on Crosswalk.com, Debbie McDaniel offers forty prayers of blessing to pray over our children.

Here too is a prayer for those who care for kids:

Almighty God, heavenly Father,

You have blessed us with the joy and care of children:

Give us calm strength and patient wisdom so to train them,

that they may love all that is true, and pure, and lovely, and of good report,

following the example of their Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

I think I know better

But God patiently loves me

Isaiah 40:13 Who is able to advise the Spirit of the Lord? Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him?

Patience.

I’m impressed this morning that this beautiful virtue, one of the fruits the Spirit produces in us, is one of his defining characteristics.

How often I’ve thought, even if I haven’t said out loud to the Lord, “I know better. If I had your power, I wouldn’t allow what’s going on in the life of my beloved one.”

Once while attending a conference in the U.S. after we had lived in Brazil for many years, I greeted the woman ahead of me in line. She asked where I was from, and I told her São Paulo. She said, “Oh, your Spanish must be pretty good.” The rest of the time we were in line, she told me how my husband and I should minister in Brazil.

Had she ever been there? No. She ended as we reached the serving line, with a bright smile, “I’m so glad God put us together this morning, so I could be of help to you.”

As I ate my breakfast, after I finished internally rolling my eyes, I reflected on how God could use her “help” to me: to teach me patience. And humility. And to understand better the disconnect between my world and that of people whose reality I don’t experience.

Thinking a little more deeply, the Spirit nudged me. I’m like her. I think I know, when what I understand is but a tiny slice of what’s going on beyond myself. And some of that tiny slice isn’t even accurate. In Brazil, we speak Portuguese. In the Kingdom of God, the Spirit speaks Love, and my comprehension of that language is dismally inadequate.

Yet I try to tell God how Love should be spoken in the life of a person I care about.

Your will be done, Lord. Your Kingdom come on earth as in heaven.