5 Days of Prayer For My ChildrenНамуна

Be a Bethany

Stories from a parent's heart

Bethany was a small town, two miles outside of Jerusalem. The city was the home of three of Christ’s friends—Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Aside from that fact, the town was pretty insignificant. Bethany didn’t have great historical, political, or even religious importance, but Jesus seemed to go out of His way to get there. I wonder why?

Bethany was a place of refuge for Jesus. It was a place where people He loved wanted to share moments of worship with Him. Bethany was the place where Mary chose to sit at Jesus’ feet and hear the vulnerable places of His heart. Jesus must have loved being in Bethany because it was a place where He could both give and receive love.

Jesus has this same desire for His relationship with you. Christ longs for you and your family to be His Bethany; He longs for you to be the place where He can give and receive love.

Pray: Listen to Jesus

Dear one, I am hoping that you will be my Bethany. I am hoping to have a special, one-of-a-kind friendship with you. I want to share my joy with you. I want to share the things that have saddened my heart with you. Just like in Bethany, I want to lavishly give and receive love from you. I am ready to share closeness and vulnerable moments just with you.

• Jesus, I am amazed that you desire for me to be your Bethany. I am grateful when I consider that you want this kind of relationship with me because _________.
• Lord, I want to share moments of worship with you and for you because _________. You are deserving of my praise because _________.

Live: Do the Bible

• God, I declare my devotion to you because you are _________.
• Lord, I rejoice in my ability to share life and a loving relationship with you because _________. I also want to rejoice with trembling awe. You alone, are great because _________.

Take Action

• Share spiritual conversations with your child. Talk about the greatness of our God. Tell your children about His wonderful deeds and praise Him aloud so your children can hear. Together, rejoice in Him.
• Attend corporate worship services with your children. Remind them that singing praise songs is one way to worship the Lord and tell others how great He is!
• Start a book of blessings, where you ask the Lord to remind you of the great things He has done for you and your family. Record them in the book. Reminisce about these blessings, then pray and worship together as a family.