Reflections on Job - 2 - Praying for my children and grandchildren

During this reading of Job, I have the advantage of having read it a number of times before and all the dialog is filtered through my previous knowledge.

This time around, right off the bat I'm touched by this passage:

His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day (birthday), and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. When the days of feasting had completed their cycle, Job would send and consecrate them, rising up early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, 'Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.' (Job 1: 4-5, NASB)

During my study, these two verses kept calling me back.

Job wanted to make sure his son's sins were covered just in case they had cursed God in their hearts. A few points call themselves to me:

• Job loved his children. Although the Bible tells of his prayer for his sons, had Job lived in these days, I'm sure he would have prayed for his daughters as well.
• Job loved his children very much. He was their father, their patriarch, and he was responsible for them as such. They were blessings God had given him. Above all things, Job loved and trusted God.
• The sons would invite the three sisters to celebrate with them. In this, we see siblings who take care of each other, who are still considered a family unit even though they are grown and have separate lives of their own.
• And the big point, the one that kept calling me back: Job prayed for forgiveness for his sons, just in case.

My prayers for my children usually go something like this:

- Make them strong

- Make them happy

- Keep them healthy

- Keep them safe

- Keep them on the right path

- Help them find a job, a house, a good neighborhood, good moral and upright friends, etc

But it's not my usual prayer to ask God to forgive them ... especially not just in case.

Job 1:4-5 has enriched my life forever. My morning prayers for my daughter and her family now will be more like this:

Dear Lord, Keep them healthy and strong in you. Keep them together so they can support each other spiritually and emotionally as they grow older. Keep them safe. Protect them in their jobs, whether at school or at work. Give them good friends who know You, and give them a happy life. Forgive them for any sins they may have committed against you. Keep them in the faith.