My mom is 94, so she sometimes wants to talk about who will inherit specific earthly possessions she loves. This often leads me to reflect on the inheritance I want to leave my children and grandchildren. The GREAT news is it goes much deeper than earthly treasures!
I’ve always found Revelation 5:8 fascinating because it gives us a snapshot of worship happening at the throne of God in heaven. The verse mentions “…golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” It seems God counts the prayers of believers (the “saints”) so valuable that He puts them in golden bowls that are an ever-present fragrance before His throne. Isn’t that amazing?!
The God who knows ALL things… Who never forgets ANYTHING… treasures the idea of continuing to actively answer prayers I’ve prayed through the decades… even if I don’t remember what I prayed. Even if my life is no longer on this earth. The prayers you and I have prayed can continue to be fruitfully answered for our families, beyond our time on this earth, as those prayers fragrantly remain before God’s throne!
THAT is a picture of the everlasting inheritance! THAT is what I want to leave my children and grandchildren for generations to come. It is an inheritance God has granted that is more than I could ask or imagine!
My kids need my prayers more than they need my “stuff.”
I got a slow start in building that legacy for my kids, not really having a good picture of what it looked like to pray for my children…until I discovered that praying WITH other women was the key to learning how to do it. As I sat in an intimate little Moms in Prayer International group for my children’s elementary school each week, God began to show me more about Himself when the women praised Him for Who He is. God showed me how to ask for His will instead of my own, how to let go of my worry for my kids and trust Him, and how to incorporate God’s very Word into my prayers. I was so thankful to have confidential, powerful prayer support for my kids during seasons when parenting challenges were overwhelming me. And those like-hearted women taught me how to expand my vision to be able to passionately pray for the next generation (the one my kids were growing up in) and the teachers and schools shaping all those precious lives.
What a JOY it will be in heaven to fellowship with people I’ve prayed for, but I never learned the outcome of those prayers. In heaven, when all things are known, we’ll celebrate together the ripple effects of the prayers we’ve all brought to those golden bowls of incense, and we’ll discover what God did through our prayers. One day I hope to welcome my children and grandchildren to heaven and get to hear how they benefited from a legacy of prayer over them, a powerful inheritance I can give them that will long outlast my own life.
Would you like to discover if YOUR child’s school has an active Moms in Prayer International group in place? This global ministry prays for preschoolers, K-12, college aged and adult children. Public, private and homeschool moms and grandmothers are welcome. It’s never too late to invest in an inheritance for children and schools through prayer! If your school doesn’t have a group yet, start one! Hundreds of students and teachers get prayer coverage when just one new group of 2 or 3 women begin to pray for a specific school! Or join us in our multi-school group that prays in the Cube Thursdays during the school year from 1:30-2:30 as we learn together how to be effective prayer warriors for our children. Feel free to contact me at GHadd828@outlook.com about this group.
Strategically build your inheritance while you are on this earth. PRAY strategically!
“Because He turned His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live.”
Psalm 116:2
Meet the Author!
Gayle Hadden and her high school sweetheart, Terry, love leading a home group for CRBC. They are parents to three wonderful adult children, their spouses, and are blessed with six adorable grandchildren. Gayle served for ten years in Moms in Prayer International as a USA Division Coordinator for seven states and is passionate about getting children and schools covered in prayer. She loves seeing the Word of God come alive in lives, watching God’s hand in nature, playing with grandkids, traveling, boating, birding, and chocolate (dark please!).