I received a nice note from some new friends we met at Cannon Beach this week. After I gave a message based on Philippians 1:9-11 on how to pray for your grandchildren, I challenged the hearers (it was a retirees conference) to pray this prayer for their children and grandchildren. My friends from Bellingham, Washington decided to take action.

"We want to thank you so much for your ministry this week. You have spurred us on to, after much discussion among ourselves, to implement into practice what you taught by praying for our children and grandchildren Paul’s prayers in Ephesians 1, Ephesians 3, Philippians 1, and Colossians 1. We will do this for 21 days in faith believing God can and will change peoples’ hearts, and then compare notes to see what God is doing in our lives and their lives. Thanks again for challenging us to “do the will of God".

Nothing could be better than taking a prayer right from the Bible and making it your own. When you pray like that, you know you’re praying something that comes right from God's heart. In my book Beyond All You Could Ask or Think, I show how the prayers of Paul can teach us to pray more effectively today. 

I want to encourage all the parents and grandparents who read this entry to follow the example of the folks from Bellingham. Take 21 days to pray these prayers over your children and grandchildren. You may be surprised at how God answers your prayers. 

You can reach the author at ray@keepbelieving.com . Click here to sign up for the free weekly email sermon.