Parents, D.A. Carson’s comments on 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 are relevant in our parenting as well. Dr. Carson explains:

“When was the last time you prayed this sort of prayer for your family? for your church? for your children? Do we not spend far more energy praying that our children will pass their exams, or get a good job, or be happy, or not stray too far, than we do praying that they may live lives worthy of what it means to be a Christian?

“How will these values appear thirty of forty billion years from now? From eternity’s perspective, what should be the primary things for which we should pray for our children, for ourselves, for our fellow believers?

“When was the last time we prayed such things? When was the last time we prayed that Good might count us worthy of his calling?” (pp. 54-55)

I know that all Christian parents are motivated by their love for their children to pray for their children. Dr. Carson’s words exhort us to consider what should be the content of our prayers, our priorities in our prayers for our children. Without neglecting our prayers for their temporal good, let’s be sure to pray that God would make them “worthy of his calling.”

Categories: Thursday Thoughts For Parents, five15 blog