What C. S. Lewis Taught Me About Praying For Adult Kids

Do you ever feel hopeless when praying for adult kids who really struggle with complicated life situations?Recently I hit a brick wall in praying for one of my adult children. Though I've prayed for my kids for years, I just couldn't connect with how to specifically pray for what this one son was going through.So I asked the Lord to show me how He wanted me to pray. And He did.

Praying for adult kids ...

I've been re-reading Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis. (Honestly, I'm surprised at how much I'd forgotten since I'd read it in college. *glances down in embarrassment*)Anyway, the other morning in my reading, I ran across this passage from the section on "The Perfect Penitent."

What do we mean when we talk of God helping us? We mean God putting into us a bit of Himself, so to speak. He lends us a little of His reasoning powers and that is how we think: He puts a little of His love into us, and that is how we love one another.When you teach a child writing, you hold its hand while it forms the letters: that is, it forms the letters because you are forming them.

Suddenly I had a picture of Jesus placing His hands over my son's hands and teaching those fingers how to write. He was putting a little bit of his purposes into my son.Then I saw the Spirit hold my son's brain and guide his thoughts to follow the way the Spirit was thinking. Slowly new pathways formed in my son's mind as he repeatedly was led along a new direction in reasoning.Next I saw my son standing on top of the Lord's feet, and they waltzed around the room together, just as Dad had taught me to dance in our old kitchen so many years ago.

And then I knew how to pray for my son.

• I asked Jesus to put His hands over my son's hands and show him into how to use those hands for the purposes God has planned for his life.

• I asked the Spirit to put his thoughts into my son's mind in such a way that the Lord's thoughts would hold my son's and guide him into right thinking.

• I asked the Lord to place my son's feet upon His feet and show my son the dance patterns to navigate his way through the difficult situation he faced.

As I prayed, I felt this overwhelming assurance that God was on the move. I'd prayed right into God's agenda ... only because I'd asked Him for specific directions in how to pray.There's more to share about praying for adult kids. So I'll leave the rest of this story about my son for next week.Until then, steal what the Lord showed me, and pray it for your own children. After all ... much of building a spiritual legacy is accomplished through prayer.And if you found this helpful, please pass it on. Thanks.Catch you next week,Susan