Saturday, January 6, 2018

Praying the Scriptures for Your Adult Children by Jodie Berndt

Berndt reminds readers that even when parents have done everything they knew to do right in raising their children in the faith, there is no guarantee that they will remain faithfully strong. It is essential that parents pray for their children, even when they are adults and have a life of their own.

There are two aspects to this book. One is stories. Berndt tells many from her own family and many from the families of others. Lots of the stories include wonderful answers to prayer but I liked it that she has included stories where parents are still struggling over problems unsolved. These stories help encourage parents that they are not alone in their concern for their adult children. They also encourage parents to realize that it is never to late to pray for their children.

The other aspect of the book is praying Scriptures. Berndt likes to have a biblical basis for her prayers and includes many on a variety of topics. There are prayers for the adult children and prayers the parents can pray for themselves.

Some of the topics were no surprise, such as praying for your child's spouse or to get a job. But some did surprise me, like praying for your child's mental and emotional health and praying to overcome temptation.

The bottom line is trusting God. That is ultimately what Berndt is asking God to help her do, put her confidence, her trust, and her delight in Him rather than in any blessing or gift He might provide. “And I'm asking him to do that for my children and their spouses too.” (307) If that resonates with you, this book will help you on that path.

Berndt believes we must continue to fight for our families and the first line of attack is prayer. This book contains good insights and suggestions for maintaining a life of prayer over your children.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Jodie Berndt is the author of several books. She and her husband have four grown children and two sons-in-law. She is a speaker and Bible teacher. You can find her writing at https://jodieberndt.com/.

Zondervan, 320 pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Handlebar. My comments are an independent and honest review.

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