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Hannah is not the primary character in the story. Nor is Samuel. Pivotal to the whole story, the central cohesive element, the linchpin, is God himself. Everything else—Hannah’s barrenness, Hannah’s prayer, Samuel’s birth—is the working out of God’s eternal plan.” ¹ Hannah longed to give birth to a son. However, in I Samuel 1:5, 6, we read, “the Lord closed Hannah’s womb.” Hannah prayed, asking God to give her a son for several years. Hannah went with her husband to the temple to worship, and feeling hopeless, she prayed and wept. Eli, the priest, thought she was drunk. Hamah responded, “I am praying out of great anguish and grief.” God was not answering her prayer, but God had a plan. When she reached the point of desperation, she made this vow: “O Lord Almighty, if you will look down upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime” (I Samuel 1:11).  After Hannah returned home, her prayer was answered; God opened her womb, conceived, gave birth to a son, and named him Samuel. Hannah asked for a son, and God gave her a prophet. God answered more abundantly than she wondered when her heart and God’s heart became a perfect match.   In Samuel 3:1, we read,” in those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.” God needed a prophet to communicate His heart to the Israelites. God was working according to His plan. He was not at a loss. We read in I Samuel 2:35, “I will raise for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind.” God worked out His plan when Hannah found herself in this hopeless situation. If Hannah’s prayer for a son had been answered immediately, she might not have given him to the Lord as she did. Hannah’s prayer for a child began in the heart of God. Samuel became a mighty warrior on the battlefield and in the prayer closet. God powerfully used Samuel.   This is an excellent lesson to learn when praying for our grandchildren. When challenges come into their lives and are not answered according to their or our schedules, God may be working out His plan, which is far greater. When praying for your grandchildren, pray God will work His plan in their lives.  By Lillian Penner, Emeritus, Co-Prayer director for Christian Grandparenting Network, lpenner@christiangrandparenting.net 2003 The Praying Life, Jennifer Kennedy Dean, Waiting on God. P 98

 For Preschoolers, pray they will: Develop a well-balanced personality Learn problem resolutions. Play well with others. Learn to obey quickly; respect authority. Explore and create without fear o failure. Develop a soft heart towards Jesus Develop confidence and independence. Learn to control their emotions and anger. Develop an awareness of God’s love. Build positive friendships. For Elementary-AGE CHILDREN, pray they will: Discover their God-given gifts and Develop a sense of satisfaction and enjoy using their skills. Be motivated, disciplined and challenged in their learning experiences. Treat others with respect. Stand firm for what is right and refuse the wrong with a positive attitude. Choose friendships wisely Obey their parents Understand their need for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Develop a strong and healthy self-esteem and self-confidence. Have a safe, healthy classroom. Be protected from the deception of the world. Develop a hunger for God’s Word. For your Pre-teen & Teenagers, pray they will: Be motivated, disciplined, and challenged to apply him/her self in order to excel academically. Experience the reality of knowing Jesus Christ, as they grow strong in their faith. Recognize the deception the world offers. Be covered with God’s safekeeping physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Date wisely (which leads to a life’s partner). Be sexually pure. Have open communication and a good relationship with parents. Learn how valuable he/she is to You knowing his/her true worth comes from You. Choose friends who will have a positive influence. Develop a hunger for God’s Word to grow spiritually. Have a balanced view of his/her beauty, charm and strength. Live in this evil world with self-control, right conduct and devotion to You. Be willing to accept responsibility and make wise financial decisions. Will not worry about anything but pray about everything. Will live in this evil world with self-control, right conduct and devotion to God. For College/Young Adults, pray they will: Experience the reality of a relationship with Christ and live the adventure of following Jesus. Grow spiritually with a hunger for God’ Word. Be motivated, disciplined, and challenged to apply themselves in their studies to excel Seek God’s wisdom and direction in their management of time, money, and talents. Think creatively and live with integrity. Recognize their gifts so they can find their God-given assignment. Provide the resources to fulfill their God-given assignment. Date wisely (which leads to a spouse for a lifetime). Find a spouse with a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. Remain sexually pure for marriage. Be willing to accept responsibility and make wise financial decisions. Have open communication and a good relationship with their parents. Recognize the deception of the world and flee from it. Be covered with God’s safekeeping physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Choose friends who will have a positive influence. Have a balanced view of their beauty, charm, and strength. By Lillian Penner, Emertis Prayer Coordinator,  Author and Blogger. pennerlp@gmail.com

As I look into 2024, our national and global climate is in turmoil. Our world is in a moral and spiritual decline; we are in a battle for the minds and hearts of our dear grandchildren. The enemy is trying to steal their hearts and God’s plans. In addition to attempting to destroy their faith, the enemy is trying to beat the morals of our country, especially the family unit. We must stand in the gap to pray for the spiritual, emotional, and physical protection of our grandchildren and their parents so they do not become victims of our culture.  For that reason, the mission of the Christian Grandparenting Network is to challenge grandparents around the world to intentionally and regularly come together to pray, interceding for thousands of grandchildren, which will impact their generation and generations to come. Therefore, we have organized “Grandparents@Prayer” (G@P) intercessory prayer groups. Our goal is to encourage grandparents to be prayer warriors through the personal discipline of intercessory prayer in the battle against the enemy. We encourage grandparents to regularly meet in small or large groups to unite in prayer at a designated location for 1 hour or so of guided prayer and fellowship.  Many grandparents have indicated that they appreciate the G@P prayer times because they are safe places to share their heavy hearts with their grandchildren. In Isaiah 58:6, we read that we can “lose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke” in our world. One of the ways we can break these chains is by “standing in the gap” for our dear grandchildren, just as Esther stood in the gap for her people, the Jews, when they were physically threatened. Today, grandparents can stand in the gap with prayer for their grandchildren as the enemy threatens their spiritual lives. I have found uniting in prayer with other grandparents for my grandchildren a special blessing. It’s a safe place to share my concerns for my grandchildren and their parents and to know others are praying for me. We now have several G@P intercessory groups meeting in various places worldwide, in retirement Centers, schools, churches, and homes. Some groups meet weekly, twice or once a month, whatever the group desires.   I want to challenge you to ask God whom He would have you pray with you for each other’s grandchildren. Ask your friends, church senior group, neighbors, family members, or whomever.  Prayer: Lord, will you set a fire in my heart to pass the baton of truth and pray intentionally for the next generation? In the name of Jesus, Amen If you are interested, please go to https://christiangrandparenting.net/grandparents-at-prayer/to learn more about the G@P intercessory prayer groups. The first step is to complete the form, and we will help you start a group. By Lillian Penner, Co-Prayer director for Christian Grandparenting Network, lpenner@chrisrtiangrandparenting.net ₁. 

The Christmas tree, the greatest symbol of Christmas is an evergreen tree, representing life. The custom of erecting a Christmas tree can be historically traced to 15th century.  “The tree was traditionally decorated with edibles such as apples, nuts, or other foods. In the 18th century, it began to be illuminated by candles, which were ultimately replaced by Christmas lights after the advent of electrification. Today, there are a wide variety of traditional ornaments, such as garland, tinsel, and candy canes. An angel or star might be placed at the top of the tree to represent the angel Gabriel or the Star of Bethlehem from the Nativity.” [1] The branches on the evergreen tree, remind us of the many roles we have in our lives such as parenting, grandparenting, etc. They also remind us of all the relationships we have with our family, friends, neighbours, our careers, hobbies, activities, sports etc. As we submit, each of these branches to God He will adorn them with ornaments, as He develops our character, with the fruit of the Spirit.  Let’s look at the ornaments as representing the fruit of the Spirit. If we accept God’s unconditional LOVE in our hearts allowing His love to flow through us to others it will give us JOY. Our hearts will be full of joy amidst the daily challenges in our lives because “The joy of the Lord will be our strength.”(2) When we experience the joy of the Lord as our strength, we will have peace. PEACE is calmness in our hearts amidst the challenges we face, extending through our lives to others. After our adorning with love, joy, and peace, we will be empowered with PATIENCE, an attitude that does not lose hope for others even if they irritate or hurt us. KINDNESS expressed with our words and deeds to a sad or lonely heart may be their connection for Jesus. Then GOODNESS will flow into good works from our kind heart reflecting the character of God attracting others to Jesus.  Another ornament placed on the tree is FAITHFULNESS. Just as God is faithful to us, it is important that we too are dependable and trustworthy at all times. Faithfulness brings us to GENTLENESS, an ability to be pleasant, composed and controlled in the daily challenges of life. The last ornament we will place on the tree is SELF-CONTROL, which adorns our lives with the character of strength to restrain us from doing wrong. We cannot have self-control without all the other ornaments. Then the tree will be wrapped with a garland of God’s righteousness and the star will be placed on the top directing people to Jesus. We will plug in the lights illuminating the tree representing Jesus the light of the world, a symbol of hope. Just as we have beautiful Christmas trees in our homes, our lives will be beautiful when adorned with the fruit of the spirit.  This year let’s give our grandchildren a spiritual application of the Christmas tree

“One generation will commend your works to another;they will tell of your mighty acts.” Psalms 145:4  Have you shared your family history with your children and grandchildren? Next month is Thanksgiving and many families will be gathered for the big feast. This would be a good time to talk about your families legacy. Everybody’s ancestry includes two parents, four grandparents, eight great-grandparents, 16 great-great-grandparents, and on and on through the generations.  Have you ever wondered who might have been your lineal ancestor living in Jesus day? What do you know about any of your ancestral lineages? What kind of people were they?  Where did they live? What did they believe?  The events of our lives, our parents’ lives, and of those generations preceding us make up our life blueprint.  As grandparents, we are a vital link between our grandchildren and our family history.  How are we affecting that blueprint for future generations?  Do they know their family stories and history?  Have you shared pictures of family from previous generations? Why not write a story with pictures of your parents (your grandchildren’s great-grandparents) to share with them?  You might also take out a map and show them where you lived, where your grandparents lived, and from where your ancestors came.  I found it interesting to read stories about my ancestors, their struggles in Europe before coming to this country, and their challenges of starting a new life as immigrants in a new country in the late 1800’s.  I soon realized these were real people – my family – making a life for themselves and future generations like me.  When we preserve our family roots, it promotes the importance of the family. When we are diligent to maintain our family history, we pass on to future generations an understanding of who they are. Very often the younger generation is not interested in listening to stories of family history until they’re older.  That’s why it is so important to put these stories in writing so that they will be there when they are interested and those who know are no longer around.   At one of our family reunions, my husband and I developed questions about our children’s grandparents and us. We had three multiple-choice answers, and they were to choose the right one. It was surprising how little they knew about their family roots, a time to teach them and an enjoyable activity. If your family has a Christian heritage, it is important to write about that so succeeding generations can see how powerfully God has worked in their family. If you do not have a legacy of Christian family members, but you are walking with the Lord now, you have changed the blueprint for future generations.  Now, that is exciting and worth passing on!  Deuteronomy 6:5, 7 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart . . . Impress them (these commandments) on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the

I recently read in Exodus chapter 17 about Moses telling Joshua to go to war with the Amalekites. Moses told Joshua, “I will stand at the top of the hill, with the rod of God in my hand.” So, Joshua and his men went to fight the army of Amalek, and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill with the rod of God in their hands.   If Moses held up the rod of God, Israel was winning the battle with the Amalekites. Whenever Moses rested his arms at his sides, the soldiers of Amalek were winning. Moses’ arms became too tired to hold up the rod, so Aaron and Hur rolled a stone for him to sit on, and they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands until sunset. As a result, Joshua and his troops crushed the army of Amalek.   As Moses told Joshua, “I will stand at the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” God’s Word instructs grandparents to fight the enemy with prayer for our dear grandchildren and their parents.     That reminds me to pray intentionally and daily for my grandchildren and their parents. When Moses had his hands up, Joshua was winning, but when he got tired, Joshua lost the battle. Just as Aaron and Hur were holding up the arms for Moses, it’s like a group of grandparents holding upother’s grandchildren with prayer. Our grandchildren and their parents will lose the battle of navigating with the enemy if their grandparents are too busy or lazy to pray for them consistently.    Start a Grandparenting Prayer Group by joining together to share your concerns for your grandchildren. Grandparents worldwide are gathering to uphold their grandchildren and their parents with prayer groups. When grandparents gather to pray for each other’s grandchildren, it’s much like Aaron and Hur holding up the arms of Moses.    Go to our website, www.chrtistiangrandparenting.net, to the Prayer link to learn how you can be a part of a grandparent’s prayer group. We have guidelines, testimonies, and additional information for you. Just complete the form, and we will connect with you.    A Grandmother in South Dakota Shares:  At our second Grandparents@Prayer meeting, we had a new grandfather who came to pray for his grandson, an army helicopter pilot in Iraq. He was con­cerned for the safety of his grandson and for his other grandchildren who are living all over the world. To­night at Church, the Pastor asked him to share about attending the Grandparents@prayer meeting and pray­ing for his grandson. On Wednesday, he and his wife received an e-mail telling them he was home safe. He was so appreciative of all our prayers. When I shared, my Pastor said, “There is some­thing about prayers in a group vs… your prayers. I can’t tell you how excited I was to hear the excitement in their voices and them talking about their grandchildren and children.   By Lillian Penner, Coordinator for the Prayer ministry for Christiangrandparenting.net, lpenner@christiangrandparenting.com. check out the

Happy are those who fear the Lord— who follow his ways! Will enjoy the fruit of your labor! How happy you will be! How rich your life. Psalm 128:1,2 (N LT)  This summer, some grandparents will be vacationing with their grandchildren. It’s a great time to spend extra time with them and interact with them. Multi Generation Family Camping Together I would like for you to imagine camping with your grandchildren in the mountains. You’ve cooked your dinner over the fire and are relaxing around the campfire beside a big lake. It is perfectly still. There is no wind. The lake looks like a mirror reflecting a beautiful sunset. You are roasting marshmallows and eating s’mores while the grandkids are also throwing rocks in the lake. They are enthralled with the ripples they make in the water, having a great time trying to see who can make the biggest ones.  Grandpa tells Grandma, “Just as the kids are making ripples in the water with the rocks we can make ripples in the lives of our grandchildren with our prayers”. Our prayers for our grandchildren to invite Jesus Christ into other lives and walk with Him throughout their lives will ripple and affect their families, friends, world, and future. Another way we as grandparents can have a ripple effect on our grandchildren is how we live our lives. If we seek the Lord ourselves and invest time, energy, and effort in our walk with the Lord, we will have a ripple effect on our children, grandchildren, and future generations.  I found a letter in my family archives written by my great-grandfather in Poland to my grandfather, who had immigrated to America. In the letter, he wrote that he was praying for my grandfather and future generations. What a blessing it was to see in writing that my great-grandfather had prayed for me before I was born. His prayers had a ripple effect on my life. Prayer is the greatest gift we can give our family. Material things are needed, but they are temporary. Our prayers can affect them for a lifetime.  As grandparents, let’s deliberately pray and pass our love for God on to our children and grandchildren and watch the ripple effect, just as our grandkids enjoy the ripple effect from the rocks they throw into the water.  Just as the verse in Proverbs tells us, when we walk with the Lord and follow his ways, we will enjoy the fruit of our labors, and our lives will be rich. We may not see the answers to our prayers during our lifetime, but they will be in God’s storehouse and have a ripple effect.  Next month I will introduce you to “Grandparents At Prayer,” a new intercessory prayer ministry for Christian Grandparenting Network to help you pray more intentionally for your grandchildren.  Written by Lillian Penner, Prayer Coordinater for Christian Grandparenting Network

Our children are responsible for parenting our grandchildren in these insecure, unstable times we live in today. Young families are busy with their jobs, church, and children’s activities. They have many distractions in their marriage, employment, and parenting.   Satan’s purpose in today’s broken world is to destroy the family. It is important that we pray God will give our children wisdom and time management in their monumental task of guiding our grandchildren in the ways of the Lord, in a biblical worldview. Prayer Dear Lord, first, I want to thank you for the parents of my grandchildren. Help my children value their children the same way You value them.  I pray they will commit to the responsibility. You gave them to teach the children to love You and train them according to Your parenting manual, God’s Word. Give our children wisdom to manage their time so they can take the time to teach our grandchildren the ways of the Lord. Give them wisdom on how to nurture and care for the children. I pray they will be loving and caring parents. May the children see their home and family as a “safe place.” Help them to rule their home well, not provoking the children to anger. Help them to be fair and understand the children as You understand us. Pour out your Spirit upon my children, as they parent my dear grandchildren. Bless their homes. In Jesus’ name. Amen. PS:  I have developed “Thirty-one Scriptures to Pray for Grandchildren,” which many grandparents have found helpful in praying Scripture for their grandchildren. Just by joining the mailing list on this page, you will receive blogs about grandparenting and suggestions to pray for your grandchildren.  I will email you a free downloadable copy of “Thirty-one Scriptures to Pray for your Grandchildren,” which you can print.  Lillian Penner, Lillian has been the Prayer Coordinator for Christian Grandparenting Network for many years. She is a speaker, blogger, and authored Grandparenting with a Purpose: Effective Ways to Pray for your Grandchildren” She and her husband have three sons, nine grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the whole armor of God so that you may take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Ephesians 6:10, 11). As grandparents, we need to pray our grandchildren will grow strong in their walk with the Lord and learn to put on the armor of God because our culture is challenging their faith. Our younger grandchildren have challenges with lying, cheating, disobedience to parents, etc. Our older teenage grandchildren and our young adult grandchildren need protection, as they tend to push the boundaries of godly lifestyles. The devil is deceptive and he tries to distract them from walking with the Lord. “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is” (Romans 12:2 NLT). Our grandchildren are living in conflict with two worlds, the godly and the worldly. The world is giving them loud and glaring messages to copy its behavior and lifestyle. It is urging them to establish their identity in the things ofthe world. However, God has given our grandchildren a way to transform their lives, giving them a godly identity. When they invite Jesus Christ into their lives, they are transformed into new people. Their ways of thinking change as they grow in their relationships with the Lord. Our grandchildren often feel the principles and boundaries God has given are hemming them in or holding them back. Even our young grandchildren struggle with the behaviors and customs of the world exhibited through the media, as well as by their friends and peers, especially as they enter school. However, God’s principles protect them from a potentiality dangerous lifestyle and give them freedom within the boundaries of the principles God has set up for us in his Word. As they spend time in the Word of God and grow in their relationship with Him, they will know how good and perfect His will really is for them. “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is” (Romans 12:2 NLT). Our grandchildren live in conflict with two worlds, the godly and the worldly. The world gives them loud and glaring messages to copy its behavior and lifestyle. It is urging them to establish their identity in the things of the world. However, God has given our grandchildren a way to transform their lives, giving them a godly identity. They are transformed into new people when they invite Jesus Christ into their lives. Their thinking methods change as they grow in their relationships with the Lord. Our grandchildren often feel the principles

Grandparents can make a difference. Grandparents can help their grandchildren navigate the rapid cultural shifts we are experiencing. The enemy is undermining God’s design for our grandchildren by filling our headlines and social media feeds with a worldview. However, God has begun a powerful movement to awaken Christian grandparents and spiritually impact the next generation. In the book by Dr. Josh Mulvihill, Biblical Worldview, In the book, you will find how to establish the foundation in the life of a child. You may ask, “What is a Biblical Worldview?” The biblical worldview is a set of beliefs about life that determines how we live—a biblical worldview of Christ.” Dr. Mulivihiill also writes, “There is a battle for the hearts and minds of children, and much is at stake. The World is working diligently to assimilate your people into its thinking and living. We must intentionally nurture, cultivate, and persuade children to embrace the authority of Scripture and the lordship of Christ”. 1 We are experiencing much the World offers in our schools, friends, and the sexual revolution. “Biblical worldview matters. It is worthy of your time and attention. Every child will believe something, based on some authority, that will guide their decisions and direction in life and authority. Worldview matters because every child develops their view of God, creation, sin, hell, salvation, marriage, gender, money, work, abortion, climate change, government, the church, and a long list of topics.” Since our World is in moral and spiritual decline, we battle for the minds and hearts of older grandchildren. The enemy is trying to steal their lives and God’s plans. The enemy is trying to steal their faith, and the enemy is trying to destroy the morals of our country, especially the family unit. The media-driven culturing is desensitizing our grandchildren. By reflecting on our love for God, share how he has blessed us as we have walked with him and continue to grow in our relationship with him. God chose us for our specific children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. We are not living in past generations or future generations. We are living in this present generation with God’s purpose. He gave us an instruction book, God’s Word, to follow. I invite you to use the resource in the book “Grandparenting with a Purpose, Effective Ways to Pray for Your Grandchildren.” available on this website. Many grandparents have read the book and found it very helpful. PS: Last week’s blog listed suggestions for praying for different age groups.  By Lillian Penner, Prayer director of Christian Grandparenting Network

For Preschooler-age, pray they will For Elementary-age, pray they will: For Teenagers, pray they will: For College and young adult grandchildren For Married grandchildren, pray they will: By Lillian Penner, Co-National Prayer director for Christian Grandparenting Network, lpenner@christiangrandparenting.net

“One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.”         Psalms 145:4 NIV Everybody’s ancestry includes two parents, four grandparents, eight great-grandparents, 16 great-great-grandparents, and so on.  Have you ever wondered who might have been your lineal ancestor living in Jesus’ day? What do you know about any of your ancestral lineages? What kind of people were they?  Where did they live? What did they believe?  The events of our lives, our parents’ lives, and those generations preceding us make up our life blueprint.  As grandparents, we are a vital link between our grandchildren and family history.  How are we affecting that blueprint for future generations?  Do they know their family stories and history?  Have you shared pictures of the family from previous generations? Why not write a story with pictures of your parents (your grandchildren’s great-grandparents) to share with them?  You might also take out a map and show them where you lived, where your grandparents lived, and where your ancestors lived.  I found it interesting to read stories about my ancestors, their struggles in Europe before coming to this country, and their challenges of starting a new life as immigrants in a new country in the late 1800s.  I soon realized these were real people – my family – making a life for themselves and future generations like me.  If your family has a Christian heritage, it is vital to write about that so succeeding generations can see how powerfully God has worked in their family. If you do not have a legacy of Christian family members but are walking with the Lord now, you have changed the blueprint for future generations.  Now, that is exciting – and worth passing on! The importance of family is essential when we preserve its roots. When we diligently uphold our family history, we understand who they are to future generations. Younger generations are often not interested in listening to stories of our life and family history until they’re older. Putting these stories in writing is important to be there when they are interested, and those who know are no longer around.   Deuteronomy 6:5, 7 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart . . . Impress them (these commandments) on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” This command is for parents AND grandparents.  We are both responsible for influencing God’s truth, values, and purposes intentionally and purposefully upon the hearts and minds of our children and grandchildren through our talks, actions, and prayers.  One generation telling its story to another is powerful. At the same time, grandparents contribute much to a grandchild’s life by sharing their stories. The godly example and prayers of grandparents living as conduits of God’s grace and love open the way for the Spirit of God to perform in our grandchildren His transforming work and keep the legacy alive through their story!  Passing The Baton: 1.  Questions to