We live in a world filled with disobedience and rebellion towards you, Father. But in the midst of that, you convict us of our sin and call us to yourself.  When we confess our sin, you forgive and cover us with the blood of Jesus.  May our children and grandchildren experience the joy that comes to those who turn from disobedience and receive your forgiveness.  As David the Psalmist sang…

Psalm 32

1 Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! 2 Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!

May our children’s hearts be tender before you.  May our grandchildren live in honesty and obedience before you.  May they not try to hide their sin from you or justify their disobedience.  When taking the path of wrongdoing and rebellion, let your conviction rest heavily upon them, calling them back into right relationship with you.  David recalled…

3 When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. 4 Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.  My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.  5 Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.”  And you forgave me!  All my guilt is gone!

Father, we ask that your loving hand of discipline would correct and convict our children and grandchildren when needed.  May they respond quickly to the correcting, convicting work of your Holy Spirit with heartfelt repentance, saying like David, “I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.” 

Thank you that when they do confess, you are faithful to forgive and cover their sins. 

And Father, when they receive your forgiveness, may it not be just something they know about intellectually, but may they actually feel and experience your forgiveness.  Let all self-condemnation and shame be broken off of them so that they do not still feel accused. 

We also pray that any guilt they carry because of sins and abuses committed against them would be covered by the blood of Jesus.  For those traumas where they carry a strong sense of false guilt for incidents that were not their fault, set them free.  They need to experience the truth of your forgiveness just the same.  Again we ask, let the weight of self-condemnation and shame be broken off of them.

Whether it be real guilt or false guilt, let the truth of your forgiveness be an experiential reality in their lives, a reality that drives them closer to you and brings them joy.  David sang, “What joy there is for those whose disobedience has been forgiven!”  Grant them that joy as confirmation of their forgiven standing before you.  Cause that joy to deafen their ears to the accusing voices that would try to keep them feeling condemned and ashamed.  Let the words “Forgiven!” and “Loved!” echo loudly in their hearts and minds as joy replaces the weight of guilt they have been carrying.  May they not just know about the forgiveness and joy; may they feel it and experience it as a tangible reality!

So Father, convict our children and grandchildren as needed.  May they respond with heartfelt confession of their sins.  Cover them with the blood of Jesus and extend to them your forgiveness.  Convey a true feeling of joy in place of condemnation and shame.  Thank you for the hugeness of your grace!!!