When our sons were just infants, my sister Japhia and I started to meet together once a week for an hour to pray for our little boys. We prayed that early in their lives they would come to understand and respond to Christ's invitation of salvation. We prayed for their character and personality development. We asked for the Lord's protection and blessing over their lives. We prayed for their future wives and that the Lord would prepare them to become godly fathers if that was His will. We asked the Lord to make them men of integrity who would love the Lord passionately and serve Him with increasing fervour all the days of their lives, never turning back.
My sister and I see these prayers being answered and our hearts overflow with gratitude for the ways the Lord has, and is honouring our faithful pleas on behave of our sons. They both came to know the Lord personally at the age of 3, and have gone on to love and serve Him with all their hearts, soul, mind and strength. As we continue praying through the seasons of their lives, I'll always remember the day when Japhia introduced Proverbs 22:29 to our time together and we started asking the Lord to see this verse fulfilled in the lives of Christopher and Daniel.
We didn't know at that time what vocations our sons would pursue, but we began to pray that the Lord would make their path in life obvious and give them the accompanying abilities to excel in whatever direction the Lord encouraged. We prayed that God would also grant them opportunities in their field of studies and open doors to them that could only come through His hand so that the boys would see how God leads and provides. We asked the Lord that their excellency in work ethic and skill would bring recognition from discerning people and offer them positions that would fulfill the desires of their hearts.
As we watch our sons serving the Lord today, we see all the ways the Lord continues to answer and reveal His will to our boys. They are both diligent workers in their fields, studious and teachable. Their competency, but more importantly their character, does not go unnoticed, and although in their humility they wouldn't acknowledge this, they both have risen to places of influence. They both make an impact and difference in the places where they serve as they industriously and cheerfully carry out the tasks before them.
Whatever our calling today we need dedication and commitment. We need reminders to give our best to bring glory to the Lord. A job may seem lowly but it has great significance when completed with expertise. Proficiency can bring promotions and my sister and I still pray for the Lord to place their talents before the eyes of those who will encourage them and who hold the keys to further development, advancement and the use of their gifts.
Yes, excellency of work can gain worldly recognition before prominent people, but above all we pray that it gives them a standing before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. His "well done" is the only one that matters.
Father, may each of us honour You with our work. You have assigned each vocation personally, giving us the skills to complete our callings in a meaningful and fulfilling way. Place our workmanship before those who need what we can offer and may our abilities themselves be our only boast as we work to glorify Your Name.
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