Most of us are surviving off our parents' prayers!

Parents are the greatest gift from God, some of our greatest blessings lay under  their  prayers!

As we embrace adulthood, we come to realize what our parents mean. We look at their lives and study the ways they taught us things, we find ourselves copying their actions and motions. Our parents' prayers are our strongest survival tools for this generation.  We need their prayers in everywhere. we should always love them and care for them in a special way. Some parents earnestly pray and their children to become  gifted leaders or scholars or musicians or athletes, etc.  The truth is, God is answering all these parents’ prayers, but for very different purposes. Parents do all this not to get any benefit from their children, but only with the hope and belief that their children will become  educated, and respectful to their parents, useful to their family, society, country and a living example of success.

l can testify that i'm a living testimony of my parents' prayers, they have mounded me and  brought me this far  having them to wish me well is a blessing on its on. l'm who i'am today because of their countless prayers. As we grow older we forget that our parents' are the ones that have taken us this far, taught us the meaning of life; they have taught us how to live this life and lead a life of contentment. They are the ones who have given us everything, from A to Z. Yet, we are ungrateful and disrespectful towards them. We do not even pay heed to what they have to say and take them for granted. Is this humanly possible? How can we be so cruel & shrewd? 

The first commandment with a promise-- the lord said in Exodus 20;12 "Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you. God exhorts us to honor father and mother. He values honoring parents enough to include it in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:12) and again in the New Testament: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother which is the first commandment with a promise, so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth” (Ephesians 6:1-3). Honoring parents is the only command in Scripture that promises long life as a reward. Those who honor their parents are blessed (Jeremiah 35:18-19). In contrast, those with a “depraved mind” and those who exhibit ungodliness in the last days are characterized by disobedience to parents (Romans 1:30; 2 Timothy 3:2).

Obviously, we are commanded to honor our parents, but how? Honor them with both actions and attitudes (Mark 7:6). Honor their unspoken as well as spoken wishes. “A wise son heeds his father's instruction, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke” (Proverbs 13:1). In Matthew 15:3-9, Jesus reminded the Pharisees of the command of God to honor their father and mother. They were obeying the letter of the law, but they had added their own traditions that essentially overruled it. While they honored their parents in word, their actions proved their real motive. Honor is more than lip service. We should seek to honor our parents in much the same way that we strive to bring glory to God—in our thoughts, words, and actions. For a young child, obeying parents goes hand in hand with honoring them. That includes listening, heeding, and submitting to their authority.

So how do you honor a mother and father who are difficult, if not sometimes abusive? Loud and negative, mean-spirited and belligerent almost all the time?  The fundamental idea, I believe, is RESPECT.  Whatever else they did wrong, they gave you life, and probably fed and clothed you, provided you with somewhere to sleep, maybe looked out for your education, raised you  Honor begets honor. God will not honor those who will not obey His command to honor their parents. If we desire to please God and be blessed, we should honor our parents. Honoring is not easy, is not always fun, and certainly is not possible in our own strength. But honor is a certain path to our purpose in life—glorifying God. “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord” (Colossians 3:20). Ask God to provide for all your parents’ needs “according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.” Pray that He would bless them abundantly, beyond all they ask or think, and that they would serve as an open channel of blessings to others. (Philippians 4:19; 2 Corinthians 9:8; Ephesians 3:20-21; Luke 6:38).  

PRAYER: Our Father, Who art in heaven, bless our parents, guardians, and those who are in authority over us, for their love and tender care for us, and the benefits we receive at their hands. Help us to be respectful and obedient to them in all matters according to your will; and give us the grace to perform all our duties carefully and faithfully, to avoid undesirable company and influence, and resist all temptation that may come our way; that we may live a sober, righteous and godly life, ever praising you and glorifying your Holy Name. 

                                 we pray this in Jesus name.