Children’s Day is coming up this week! In Matthew 19, when children were brought to Jesus that He might lay his hands on them and pray, what did He do? His disciples rebuked the people who brought the children, but Jesus welcomed and blessed them.

A SURPRISING TESTIMONY

One of my favourite ministry moments happened when I was a Sunday School teacher in our Sparklight Children’s Ministry. There was a child who was noisy at the back of the class. So, I took him to the side, bent down, and asked if he would worship together instead of distracting other children. He surprised me by saying that he was telling his friend of a vision he just saw during worship! He said that in the open vision, God showed him that he was sitting with Jesus in a flying chariot, and Jesus told him that in future he would be used to prophesy. I gave him a hug and asked him to stay close to Jesus always and cherish this vision in his heart. He smiled and said, “Yes, I pray to Jesus every day!” That day after class, he asked me for my number, which I gladly gave.
 
Some months later, he called me back, when he was in Secondary 1, and I remembered him fondly. He was also the boy whose parents would make sure he came dressed in his Sunday best. In our phone conversation, he shared that he wanted to be a doctor when he grew up, and I reminded him of the vision. He said yes, he remembers, and that his family has a prayer room where he and his parents would pray together. It inspired me so much that I made sure the first home that I bought would have also a dedicated room set apart to pray.

AN AWESOME TASK

Parents, we have an awesome task to teach and model a biblical, godly family. The Apostle John wrote, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in truth.” (3 John 1:4) Will we model for and train them up in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6)?

Grandparents, the Bible says that “Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers.” (Proverbs 17:6) There is a generational blessing and glory in store when you courageously love and consistently cover your adult children and grandchildren in prayer.
 
As a church community, we must also support families to be the primary place for discipling children – in what the Bible says and living out God’s Word. The children and youth God has placed in our midst are the future leaders of our church, and they will be the ones fulfilling the Great Commission together with us – not as replacements, but reinforcements.