Frank's Bible Blog

Psalm 72--How to Pray for Your Children

If you are a parent, most likely you have spent a lot of time praying for your children no matter their age. If you are like me, you probably have found yourself praying for your children all throughout the day. And if you are like me, most of those prayers were for immediate things—for that algebra test they are taking, the relationship problem they are encountering, the new opportunity they have, the decision they need to make and so forth. But how often do we pray for our children from a big-picture perspective? That is what struck me as I read Psalm 72 today. This was David’s prayer for his son Solomon who would follow him as king of Israel. Scholars would be quick to point out that this Psalm also foreshadows Christ as the King of kings, and that’s true. But for today, let’s use it to focus on six things we should pray for our children:

1. Pray for their character (verse 1). A life filled with both the justice of God and the righteousness of God will handle any situation the right way.
   
   
2. Pray for them to make a difference with their lives (verses 2-4, 12, 13, 14). That starts with them being others’ focused and continues as they look for ways to make a positive impact on other people.
   
   
3. Pray for their success (verses 5-8). There is nothing wrong with praying that they will succeed in whatever endeavors God leads them into! Pray that they will learn the lessons they need to learn and make the right kinds of decisions so that they can be successful.
   
   
4. Pray that they will be respected (verses 9-11). Pray that they will live lives worthy of the respect of others. Pray that they will treat others in such a way and have the kind of work ethic that others will want to honor.
   
   
5. Pray for their legacy (verses 15-18). Most of us don’t even think about our own legacy, let alone our kids, but we should. Pray that your children will leave a lasting legacy that impacts the generation that follows them.
   
   
6. Pray that they will praise (verses 18-20). Pray that they will be true worshippers of the Lord who recognize Him in everything and lavishly bestow their praise on Him.

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 So today, Amber and Jacob, I prayed these verses over you. I prayed that your character will be marked with godliness, that you will make a difference in this world, that you will succeed in your life calling, that you will earn the respect of others, that you will impact your children and grandchildren for Christ, and that you will live a life of praise to God’s glory. Just like I prayed for you before you were even born, I will continue to pray for you each day that you will reach your full potential in Christ. I love you! --Dad

The Homeless and the Aged: How Will You Serve in 2014?

Galatians 5:13b “But do not use your freedom to indulge in sinful nature, rather, serve one another in love.”

Last Sunday—the Sunday before Christmas—our family had the privilege of working with our church to serve the homeless of downtown Dallas. In the pre-dawn hours the homeless began to line up on one side of a parking lot, while others mingled around hot coffee on the other side where the weekly outdoor church service and breakfast would be held. The line, I learned, was to get clothes. One shirt and one pair of pants per person. My assignment was to enforce that “one and one” rule. Most people were very respectful of the rule, but then there was one guy who tried to leave with his arms full of clothes. We got him to put a couple things back that clearly would not fit him, but he begged us to let him keep the rest. “Construction workers threw everything I owned over the bridge,” he said. Apparently he had been making his “home” at a nearby construction site. We let him keep the extra clothes.

As the sun rose the church service began. I stood on the side and watched as people began to take their seats on cold metal chairs. One woman caught my attention. As soon as she sat down she started to cry. I slipped into the seat beside her. “Is there something I can pray with you about” I asked. “Yes,” she sobbed. She then began to tell me how child protective services recently took her three children. “All I want to do is tuck them in bed at night” she cried. “I’ve been real good lately. I stopped doing drugs. I don’t know why I lost them” she said. I shared the gospel with her and she told me that she had accepted Christ as Savior several months ago but had stopped going to church because she felt she wasn’t good enough.

Fast forward three days—Christmas Day—and our family found ourselves out early once again, this time to sing Christmas carols at a nursing home during their breakfast hour. We try to do something like this every Christmas that we are in town as one way to model service to our now-teenage children.

That brings us to my quiet time this morning. I read the familiar Galatians 5 passage about the fruit of the Spirit, but what really struck me were the verses leading up to them, particularly verse 13. It seems that many people struggle living by the Spirit because they don’t practice serving others. As I read this verse what came to my mind were the faces of the homeless man who lost his possessions, the woman who lost her children, and the elderly men and women who I talked with in that nursing home. I thanked the Lord for these opportunities to serve them with my family. These service opportunities were different from my normal “ministry” and it helped remind me of the importance of serving others and living by the Spirit, not just at Christmas but all year long.

So what about you? As you think about the upcoming year, how are you planning to serve others in love? You may find that it is much easier to live in the Spirit when you are walking in service to others.

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P.S. Yes, it’s been a long time since I’ve written a Bible blog! 2013 has been a very busy year for me and our ministry, MaxPoint Missions, with trips to East Africa and assisting with work literally all over the world. In case you haven’t kept up, I would encourage you to visit our website at www.maxpoint.org to see what is going on these days and to sign up for our periodical eNewsletter.

Special Christmas Blessing from Bukabwa's Children

Merry Christmas!

As you gather with family and friends to celebrate the birth of our Lord, I have a very special treat to share with you today. It is a video of Christmas coming to the once-forsaken children of Bukabwa, Tanzania. Some of my blogs have featured stories from my work in Bukabwa and other places in Tanzania over the past two years as I have coordinated a partnership between an American church near Dallas, TX and an indigenous Tanzanian denomination. The children of Bukabwa have no toys, no books and most are not able to attend school (too far). But God's love was demonstrated to this village as this Christmas 200 children received children's Bibles and "Hope Packs" filled with toys, candy and hand-written notes from generous Americans. Their parents also received something special--a Bible of their own. So turn up the volume on your computer and check out this video--but grab the Kleenex first!

P.S.--the man in the video on the bicycle is Pastor Samuel, who leads the church that we planted there. His wish was to have a bicycle that he could use to travel across this expansive village to share Christ with its 6,000 residents. Now he has one! For more on my work in Africa, and more Bukabwa videos, please visit my ministry website at www.maxpoint.org.

Merry Christmas!

--Frank Banfill

P.S.S. For those of you getting this post via email, if you do not see the video below you can view it at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.