In this week’s Worship Wednesday, Jennifer shares with us how worshiping God by faith helps extinguish the enemy’s fiery attacks on our children–how our faith teaches children to fly.
Faith Teaches Children to Fly
by Jennifer Wake
Parenting is hard. It can be heart wrenching, joyous, life-giving, and stressful, sometimes all within the span of 10 minutes. Every day is different. Each day is a combination of crazy, fun, stressful or peaceful. With kids, every child is unique, and each year of growth is filled with challenges.Â
Our goal should be to help our kids to learn to fly, to leave the nest, to grow into what God wants them to be. As my children are leaving my nest, my heart wants to hold on tight. Yet my mind and spirit know they need to fly. I don’t want them to leave me and is scary to think they are about to fly away.
The Right Playlist
Recently my daughter, who is away at college, created a playlist for me to listen to when I am sewing and quilting. Worshiping God is something I enjoy doing while sewing. She selected many of the songs I knew and could sing along to.Â
One stood out, “Flaming Arrows” by Carmen Justice. It was new to me. It brought my sewing to a standstill as I sat and worshipped God.
Have you ever noticed how a song can raise us up or bring us down? I was uplifted, and challenged by this song. The first time I heard it, I thought of the verse in Ephesians.
“In all circumstances take up the shield of faith,
with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one”
Ephesians 6:16 ESV
I have prayed this verse over each of my children and asked God to lead them to have their own faith. A personal faith they can embrace. It will be their own faith, beliefs, and life path and I want them to have their own plans and goals. Each of my kids is different which means each one needs to find their own way in the world.
This song reminded me to keep praying for my kids to follow their plans and goals. Flaming darts and arrows come from Satan, who plants doubts in our minds and in the minds of our children. We have all felt the twinge of doubt about achieving our goals or plans at one time or another.Â
How do we overcome doubt?
What can we do as parents as they leave the nest? We can be the light, the light in the darkness. We can be the flaming arrows of hope. Each day they need our prayers and our support. Even when they live across the country or on the other side of the world, God knows where they are. Our prayers reach across the miles to strengthen them.
Satan uses questions to cause them to doubt their abilities, to doubt their value. God gives them strength and clarity to see the lies and run from those doubts. Â
As young adults prepare to leave the safety of our homes, Satan attacks them with doubts, insecurities, and uncertainty. They don’t know what the future holds but they do have goals and dreams. But those goals may change as they learn new skills and they may fail at some things like jobs or relationships. But if they have a strong faith in God and the way he has uniquely equipped them for his glory, they will overcome failure.Â
Without support, young adults often think they can’t finish a project, complete the journey, or overcome obstacles. But with support from friends, family, and God, they can finish and succeed.
The light of faith fights doubts and fears.
Flaming arrows can be doubts or fears but they can also be our prayers sent to the God of the Universe on our children’s behalf. Â
Spend some time reading Ephesians 6:10-18, then listen to “Flaming Arrows” by Carmen Justice and worship God. He overcomes the flaming arrows of doubts and “ghosts”.
May God protect your children from the flaming arrows flying at them. I pray he allows, enables, and equips them to run fast and reach high.Â
