Isaiah 54:13-14 – All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children. In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you. (NKJV)

When I read today's Scripture, I thought about how we all want our children to know peace, righteousness, and freedom from fear, terror, and oppression. Thus, we have taught our offspring about God, but then, I wondered, have we thanked God for the freedom that we have to teach them about Christ? What if teaching them about Jesus led to persecution, such as happened to the Christian women and children of Lahore, Pakistan, on Easter Sunday?

All of us want our children to live in peace … and safety. Sadly, many Christians in our world have experienced horrors that we cannot begin to imagine. Many have found that peace is a luxury. From the violence perpetrated by a suicide bomber at a Lahore playground, to assault and battery within our own homes, many can only beg God for safety as they crunch over the eggshells of peace broken by abuse, terrorist attacks, or war.

For those of us who live far from oppression and terror, we need only reflect for a moment upon our quiet lives, peaceful homes, and loving families before thanks erupts. Most of us don't live amid constant fear, nor does terror overtake us. Thus, as our litany for our children reflects our thanks for many blessings, let's remember those who have not been so blessed.

Prayer: Father God,
As we thank You for the freedom to worship and teach our children about You,
       We pray for those who cannot.
As we thank You for daily lives filled with peace,
       We pray for those whose lives have no peace.
As we thank You for keeping our children far from oppression,
       We pray for those who are not so blessed.
As we thank You that many of us don't live with the daily fear of terrorist attacks,
       We pray for those who do.
Whether we live in a peaceful place or not,
       We thank You for keeping us safe within the palm of Your hand, both now and in eternity, through Jesus' name. Amen.

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About the author:

Cassandra Wessel <casswessel4319@gmail.com>
Tionesta, Pennsylvania, USA
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