Proverbs 4:8
“Whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, good, excellent, or praise worthy; think on these things and the God of peace will be with you.”
Recently, my son Jake had a life altering experience. As a mother, my heart wept for him as he struggled to find peace within himself and his circumstances. You see, Jake is actually SPC Rocky Jake Riddle who is currently stationed in the war torn country of Afghanistan. His barracks was penetrated by an enemy rocket that exploded and left soldiers around him injured or dead. He, and his fellow soldiers, are having a hard time moving on after such a devastating event. Sleep and inner peace are very hard to come by for most of them.
As I prayed for Jake in this specific situation, God first gave me the above verse to share with Jake. I have always loved this verse and was confident that this was definitely an example of our Father handing me a piece of the puzzle that I was seeking as an answer for my son’s current situation. Later that same morning, God was gracious enough to show me more of the pieces to the puzzle! I truly believe this answer is not only my answer for my son; but, the answer for parents in general who struggle with wanting desperately to take away the hurt our children must actually experience to be able to become the men and women that God desires for them to become.
While driving to work that same morning, I was reflecting on the verse I had sent Jake and I remembered that a close friend of mine had thanked Jake for letting her know how he needed for her to pray for him. She stated that she and others needed to know specifics on how to pray for soldiers because she was not in their situation. Suddenly I was prompted by God that I could only sympathize with Jake. I, nor anyone else who has not been in the boots of the soldiers that fight for our freedom, can not possibly have empathy for them. I then felt very incompetent to be able to help Jake overcome his current experience.
Then, just as quickly as the feeling of incompetence flooded my heart and mind, God also sent me the following message:
“If you, a mother who loves her son with all her heart and strength, is at a loss to do anything but sympathize with his current challenging circumstances, how is he (Jake) suppose to LEAD men in the future if he does not EXPERIENCE situations that will be a daily part of their lives as soldiers in the United States Army? I am training him to be what I desire for him to be - A servant in my kingdom and a leader for others who need me as their savior.”
So, as parents, I am thinking that our prayers for our children should be that they are able to see God in their own personal burning bush (which happened to be the exact verses I read during my quiet time early this same morning) and that God will grant them peace in all circumstances before them. All I can do now is praise God for His wisdom and for sharing the pieces of the puzzle when Jake (and I) needed them the most. Blessings!
Exodus 3:2
