When the Stones Cry Out

When the Stones Cry Out

By Renee G.

“Mom, will you please pray for my future wife lady tonight?” The surprising request came from my eldest son’s mouth as I tucked him into to bed late one night.  It wasn’t the words he said so much that threw me off guard; we have been praying this request since he was a babe, but what hit me was the fact that he remembered.

This small almost nightly request had become tucked away in my son’s heart along with many other prayers we have sought after together: prayers of healing, protection, guidance and direction.  Prayers for family, animals, courage, and his future.  Multitudes of words uttered up to God waiting in anticipation for the answers.

As a parent, you constantly question whether you are doing too much or not enough, whether you are succeeding or failing miserably, or if the words you speak breathe life into your child or are scaring them for generations to come.

This simple moment in time reminded me of when Joshua and the Israelites crossed the Jordan. Although the Israelites had safely crossed the river, God was not done.  He commanded Joshua to take up twelve stones (one for each tribe) and place them out of the river as a memorial. “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.”.

God wasn’t asking Joshua to build a memorial for the past.  Instead, He was planning for the future generations to come who would look back and see what God has done and what he will continue to do.

That night, I realized that as I pray with my son, he is not only deepening his relationship with God, he is building a foundation of faith waiting in anticipation for the future.

I know parenting is a 24/7-lifetime commitment.  Have you thought about your own child’s future?  Did you know that God already has?  He knew us before we were even born. (Psalm 139:13).  He knows every hair on our head.  (Luke 10:30) He knows when we sit and when we stand. (Psalm 139:2)

I understand that it may seem like a foreign concept to pray for your child’s future spouse, calling in life, or for their gifts to be revealed however, God has commanded us to “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Think of the relief you would have as a parent by placing your trust in the hands of the one who created your precious treasure.   For me, it means that I can rest assure knowing that whatever may happen, God is in control, and as I continue to pray for my son’s “future wife lady”, I look forward to the day when I can glance back at the stones which were laid down as a reminder that God has our lives in His hands.