It's no secret that we named our son Stephen after the first Christian martyr in the New Testament. I was always captivated with Acts 6 & 7 as a young believer and knew then that if I ever had a son, Stephen would be his chosen name.
Although Stephen is not mentioned elsewhere in the NT, Acts 6 tells us quite a bit about his character and these are the very things I pray for my Stephen. In addition to being a servant leader, caring for the needs of widows (which is pure religion), we are also told that he was:
v.5 - a man full of faith and full of the Holy Spirit
v.8 - full of grace and power
v.10 - full of wisdom and the Spirit of God; when he spoke his words could not be withstood
All that we learn about Stephen in Acts 6 is on full display in Acts 7 when he boldly preaches the gospel before the Sanhedrin. I believe this is the longest gospel discourse recorded in Scripture.
Side note: this is a great portion of Scripture to read to renew yourself in the gospel, as Stephen preaches through much of the OT, exalting Christ.
Speaking with such boldness when your life is on the line is evidence that he was a man full of faith, grace, power and the Holy Spirit.
Upon reading these verses, I took time to pray for my son and for his future. But it didn't stop there because I also read Ezra 7 and learned a bit about this godly priest. Ezra was:
v. 6 - a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses and the hand of the Lord was on him
v. 10 - a man who set his heart to study the Law of the Lord and to do it and to teach it to others
v. 25 - chosen to appoint magistrates and judges to judge the people; whoever did not know the laws of God, he was to teach them
So...my time of prayer extended to the little Ezra in my world, Ezra Price. I prayed that he too would be a young man that would set his heart on studying the Word of God and that he would obey the Word himself and that he would be equipped to teach others. I prayed that the Lord's hand would be upon him and that He would use Ezra in mighty ways to bring Him glory.
Not all of my quiet times are as exciting as this one was, but I am thankful that God met me and led me to pray for a generation yet to come. My faith was stirred as I thought and dreamed about the future of these two boys. :-)
Oh. Now we need one for Abbie... good luck with Keeley and Lila... and Deamonte and Azeriah (or however you spell it).
ReplyDelete;o)
Good stuff... you know, not trying to be too mushy mushy here... but sometimes when I look at everyone's kid-os (everyone = yours, Prices and other families I am close to and have seen grow over the years), I get all misty eyed.
ReplyDeleteReally. Sometimes I'm just sitting in church or with all of you and I think, "I can't believe I'm here, with these saints, at this time." Of all the people and time periods and places God could have sovereignly placed me, He placed me with all of you. And my heart gets all big and my eyes get all misty.
So, that is my un-poetic view of how I see your kids. An honor to know and not just watch, but be with. So, praying for them is an even bigger honor.
I will try to incorporate the scriptures above when praying for your kid-os.