Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

 

Dear First name / friend,

Last fall our family was struggling with a specific parenting issue that seemed utterly relentless. No amount of connection, redirection, consequence, or consistency seemed to make a difference. Josh and I did our best with the advice of mentors, podcast tips and everything we knew, but it seemed like we were gaining zero ground.

 

Then we realized something: We'd stopped praying about it. Normally we pray together in bed at night, right before we fall asleep. We prayed about other things, but not this. Convicted, we began praying every night. We continued with the other things we were doing, too, but prayer was our missing piece.

 

Things didn't change overnight. They didn't change within the week. But ever so slowly, they shifted. We saw glimpses of grace, a softening of heart, and before we knew it, the culture of our home was different. 

 

The question I had as a parent was, “I know I NEED to pray, but what exactly do I pray for this situation?” Scripture became my go-to. I prayed for my kids to grow in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and man (Luke 2:52). I prayed they would be guided by the good Shepherd and goodness and mercy would follow them (Psalm 23). I prayed they would believe on the Lord Jesus and receive eternal life (John 3:16). This was just the beginning!

I first learned to do this from my friend Jodie. This week on Verity Podcast I get to do something a new: interview Jodie Berndt! Jodie has been writing about prayer for over twenty years. Her book Praying the Scripture for Your Children is one of my favorites – I've read it three times! 

 

What I love about Jodie is she lives what she writes. Not only does she write about praying the Word, she actually does it! In this episode (releasing Thursday) Jodie and I talk about how to pray Scripture for your life, marriage, and kids, what it does for your intimacy with God and how it transforms your understanding of God's answers. 

 

What is the center of the gospel?

 

Is it our feelings about Jesus?

 

Is it our idea of when and how to pursue Him?

 

Most of us would answer “no” to the two latter questions, and yet we still present the gospel to our kids (and to unbelievers) with this kind of language. If we want to set our kids up for a robust understanding of what it means to be a disciple, we need to present the gospel the way the Bible does – with the kingship of Jesus at the center.

The word for faith in the New Testament is “pistis”. Many of us think of faith as a vague, mental assent to God’s existence. But James condemns this idea of faith in James 2:19: “You believe there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder!” James’ point is that faith is more than a mental-spiritual belief. It is a life-transforming allegiance. I agree with scholar Matthew Bates that the usage of pistis by Jesus and the apostles strongly indicates a language of loyalty. To put faith in someone is to be loyal to their cause, to attach yourself to them, and in Jesus’ day, to submit to their leadership.

 

Further, the center of the gospel is not the cross, though the cross is vital and important. The center of the gospel is the triumph of the resurrected and ascended Jesus, whose kingship gives us identity as adopted children, righteous saints, and victorious servants (all of Revelation speaks to this).

 

When we present the gospel, we must keep the kingship of Jesus center to how we speak about it. Jesus is king whether or not a person submits to Him. He is king whether we respond to the Spirit’s conviction or not. His victory is unchangeable, and we can follow the King – or we can remain apart from Him.

 

As a reminder, I am spending less time on social media and I am focusing on spaces that allow for slower, more thoughtful conversation. Substack is one of those spaces. My Substack is currently free to all readers. 

 

It’s where I share longer-form writing (and sometimes shorter notes too) through out the week—reflections on Scripture, biblical theology, the NEW Every Home a Foundation podcast, and it is where you can find Day in the Life now. 

 

Last week on Substack: