Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Beginnings

"I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also." 2 Timothy 1:5 (NIV).


Beloved Praying Grandmothers and Sisters in Christ,

Happy New Year and greetings to each of you in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Great is the faithfulness of our God, and I give Him great praise for each one of you as we join our hearts in prayer for our grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and the world they live in, now and in the future.

In 1995, I held my first grandchild and was absolutely overwhelmed with joy and at the same time deep concern for the world this precious child was entering. For days I meditated before the Lord with heavy heart and yes, sometimes fear, of how this child would grow up and if she would love God as I do and have the heart to serve Him.

One day, the Lord reminded me that I have a relationship with the living God as a direct result of the prayers of my own grandmother and mother, and that I had inherited a Godly heritage from my grandmother, Hattie. Iwas was amazed and it seemed so simple to me: don't worry - just pray and let God work it all out.

I prayed for two years for God to show me how to encourage other grandmothers to pray for their grandchildren. One day, God pointed me to 2 Timothy 1:5 where the Apostle Paul tells Timothy, "I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also." That was my story too, and I just knew that God would lead other grandmothers to answer the call to intercession! They did answer, and in April 1999, we had our first prayer meeting! Praise be to God!

God gave me a vision of grandmothers praying all over the world - some were in large groups and some were in small groups, but all were seeking the face of God for mercy and salvation for their grandchildren and for God to use them in His Kingdom.

Everything I needed to start this group was graciously provided by the Lord. A dear friend gave me the book, What Happens When Women Pray by Evelyn Christenson. When I read about the prayer method of short, simple, and specific prayers, I knew it was perfect for our group.

There have been hundreds of prayer requests over the years and many, many answers to prayer all to the glory of God. We must continue to pray for God to raise up many more groups all over the world because only eternity will hold all the answers to our prayers, but I know in my spirit that each and every one will be answered! Thank you, beloved ones, for your tender hearts to pray and seek God for all our grandchildren.

May God bless you with a fabulous year of good health, love, happiness, and many opportunities to serve Him in Kingdom work. I love you!

Bobbye