Father, give my children and grandchildren the hearts of worshippers, worshippers who will worship you in spirit and in truth.  May they long for your presence more than anything else.  May nothing else satisfy in comparison to time spent with you, abiding in you!

Psalm 15:1  Who may worship in your sanctuary, LORD?  Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?  2 Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts.  3 Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends.

Lord, we pray that they would not be ones who worship you with their lips but whose hearts are far from you.  Instead, let their worship be true, authentic, pure and passionate.  And may their worship flow beyond the “sanctuary” and into their daily lives, where even their daily choices are acts of worship.  We pray that their worship and passionate love for you would drive their attitudes, words and actions.

Help them choose to live blameless lives and do what is right, regardless of whether they feel like it or not.  Help them speak truthfully from honest and sincere hearts, whether they want to or not.  When upset, angry or insecure, help them refuse to gossip about and speak evil of others…even when everything in them wants to.

We have all been there, and we still need your grace to choose what is right.  But to abide on your holy hill, to worship in your sanctuary, and to bask in your presence makes every decision to do what’s right worth it!!!

1 Who may worship in your sanctuary, LORD?  Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?  4 Those who despise flagrant sinners, and honor the faithful followers of the LORD, and keep their promises even when it hurts.  5 Those who lend money without charging interest, and who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent. Such people will stand firm forever.

Furthermore, Lord, may they not keep company with “flagrant sinners.”  May they not admire or follow the wicked ways of those who do not fear you.  Let their attraction be to those who faithfully follow you and turn their backs on sin.  Show them that while sin may look appealing for a moment, in the end, it leads to bad consequences and death. 

Give our children and grandchildren the courage to keep their promises and be people of their word even when it hurts.  May their lives be marked with generosity and not selfishness or greed.  Empower them by your Holy Spirit to stand up against peer pressure that would lure them to lie about the innocent or participate in ungodly activities. 

Thank you that they will stand firm in you, living with character and integrity, choosing godliness and righteousness each moment.  Thank you that they will not be driven by lying emotions or deceitful thinking, but by the truth of your Word and passion for you. 

Thank you that your Holy Spirit cries out from within them, saying, “Abba, Father!”  May this cry from within them drive them to worship you with all their hearts, souls, strength and minds.  May their hunger be for your holy hill, for your sanctuary, and for your presence.  And may that be our hunger as well!  Let it be, Lord.  Let it be!!!