How is your gate? Do you have strong protection? Will it out-last you?
My husband and I were an
hour away from home on a two-lane road. We passed small towns, fields, and
farmhouses when one caught my eye. It was a brief glimpse as we were on a
mission and kept going.
The vision of the property mulled around in my mind.
After our appointment of many hours, we traversed back so I could take a
picture. The scene had changed a bit. The first time I saw it, the house was
hidden behind bushes and shrubs gone wild. Now, the brush had been cleared, and
a dumpster sat ready to be loaded with debris.
On the first pass, the thing I remembered most was the
gate. The gate appeared to be solid and intact, whereas the house had fallen
into despair and neglect.
The gate lasted long after the house did.
They had put a lot of thought into the gate. It wasn’t
made for privacy but rather to protect, beautify, and inspire. The iron gate
held up to the purpose for which it was intended—even now.
Prayer and the Christian life are like the gate. When
we put a lot of thought and stock into our prayers and our Christian walk, they
live long after we are gone.
As a wife, mom, grandmother, sister, and friend, I
pray for those I love. Silent prayers cross my mind. I call out animated and
walking prayers. Prayers are often repeated. Teary-eyed prayers and heart-wrenching
prayers come out at times. I pray for situations in my loved ones’ lives. For
pain or sickness to leave. For healing and mending of bodies and souls. Most
importantly, I pray for them to love the Lord their God with all their heart,
mind, and strength. That they are ‘all in’ for the Lord.
Not only do I pray for others, I pray for myself. I
pray for God’s leading and for me to have the strength to obey. I pray that my
life matters. That the words I speak and the love I show makes a difference in
my family and other people’s lives.
I also work on strengthening my walk with the Lord. I
read and study my Bible. I listen to good preaching at church and on podcasts.
I do all this with forethought and purpose—for protection. I need protection
from the evil one. I need to protect myself from myself in my thoughts and
attitude that can tear me down. I need to protect myself from bad influences.
All this is intentional for the next generation and
the next. This is an example for others. I want to leave a legacy. I want my
gate of prayer and strong Christian life to live on long after I’m gone.
I want others to be stronger in their faith. My gate
of prayer and witness hopefully will bolster others’ faith.
I want my gate to live on after my body is gone.
One of the saddest verses in the Bible is repeated
often. Another generation grew up who did
not acknowledge the Lord (Judges 2:10 plus others).
Do we work on the house and not the gate? The house is
our bodies and the gate is our spiritual lives. Do we make decisions to
strengthen our gate (spiritual lives of prayer and walk with the Lord) to
outlive our earthly bodies?
I pray my gate will protect not only my spiritual life
but the next generation’s and the next, and the next, and the next…
Tell
your children about it in the years to come, and let your children tell their
children. Pass the story down from generation to generation (Joel
1:3 nlt).