Allow me to run a little theory by you, see what you think.
My brilliant daughter, Jessica and I were talking at a family funeral last week about her children and how they have multiple generations of prayer covering over them. We can trace back at least 4 generations, by name, grandparents who prayed for their progeny. Although they had no way of knowing the names and specifics of my grandchildren, these precious saints of God prayed for their “Children and their children’s children.” That includes Sophie and Judah!
But here is where we landed. The Scripture indicates that, “golden bowls full of incense which are the prayers of the saints” are kept before the altar of God. As I understand it, these prayers that are prayed throughout the history of humankind remain before God, as an active agent. They are not prayed one time, heard by God and discarded. They remain in the ears of God throughout eternity; it is as though they are continuing to be prayed long after these Christians are in heaven.
So, the idea is cumulative prayer. The prayers stack up. For each generation, the amount of prayers prayed for them just keeps increasing. Think of these prayers amassing, heaping up, multiplying, snowballing!
Here is what Jess and I concluded: The closer we get to the end of days, the more sin is compounded and the more spiritual pressure our children will experience. My grandchildren face things unimaginable in my childhood. I must confess, I worry for them. BUT! The Word of God teaches that, “where sin abound, the grace of God abounds all the more.” (Romans 5:20). God knew that our children would be faced with spiritual opposition like no generation before them. So, He planned for an ever-increasing system of prayer support for them. My grandkids have more prayer covering that I did, because they need it. For every person who prayed for my early Christian foreparents, they are also praying for my grandchildren and their children and their children’s children – until the end of time. How powerful is that!?
We worry about the future for our families. But God has supplied a cumulative prayer structure that dates back to the time of Christ. Thousands, perhaps millions of prayers!
Satan may fight our kids, but God has an army of prayer warriors that have gone ahead with the weapon of prayer to keep the enemy at bay. God will win!
I have a new sense of assurance and excitement for my grandchildren and their children!
And this also reminds us of how crucially important it is that you and I pray for our progeny.
Thoughts on Life and Leading 