Hi everyone. It’s Tania, and welcome to the Moms for Christ Podcast! A Word that God has put into my heart comes from the book of Jonah chapter 2, verse 2, and it says, “In my distress I called to The Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I call for help, and you listened to my cry.”

"He is in such distress, and God hears his prayer!"

It just touched my heart in such a way because, when this prayer was prayed, it was prayed by Jonah after he had run from The Lord because he did not want to do what God had asked him to do. God had asked him to go to the Ninevites and warn them that destruction was coming on their people, and that they needed to repent and turn from their ways; and Jonah didn't want to do it because he knew of God's goodness, and he knew of God's mercy, and he wanted to see the Ninevites get what he felt that they deserved. He knew that if he warned them and they turned, then God would have mercy on them. So, this prayer is prayed when Jonah is in the belly of the fish, and he is in such distress, and God hears his prayer! And Jonah actually gets vomited by the fish onto land, and he goes to the Ninevites, and he preaches to them and he tells them to repent because the kingdom is at hand, and they need to turn from their ways. And they listen! And God relents! And they turn from their ways, and God has mercy on them.

" God had mercy on them..."

But, unfortunately, if you continue to read a few chapters over, they forget all that God has done, and God brings destruction upon them because they forgot what God had done. They hadn’t taught their children, and they hadn’t remembered that God had mercy on them, and they go back and continue to live the lives that they once lived, and so, God brings destruction on them.

"What are you going to tell your children and grandchildren? Are you going to remember God's goodness and His mercy?"

During this time when there is a global pandemic, I think of how we are crying to The Lord, and we're asking that He would have mercy. I've been speaking to my children, just talking to them and saying, “You know, this is a time that will be written in history books. This is a time that will be remembered, and one day your grandchildren or your children are going to ask about it, and how are you going to respond to it? Are you going to remember what God did? Are you going to remember the mercy that He had on you? Are you going to remember how good He was to you, are you going to remember that in your distress He heard your cry? Are you going to remember that He kept you safe in the shadow of his wings? What are you going to tell your children and grandchildren? Are you going to remember God's goodness and His mercy? Are you going to remember that you did not have to worry, you did not have to fear, because you knew that God had it under control? And even though your dad goes to work every day, you don't have to fear because you know that God is watching over him, and you know that God has covered him?”

"Remembering how God kept them."

So, my prayer is that our children would respond remembering the love that God had, remembering how God blessed them, remembering how God watched over them, remembering how God kept them. Would you just join me in prayer as we pray for the children that they would respond to questions of, “How? How did this time go? How did you endure this time?” and their response would be a response of, “God watched over us. God protected us. I did not have to fear because I knew that God had everything in His hand!”

"Lord, I pray that our children would not forget that you hear and that you answer..."

So Lord, we just thank you! Thank you, Lord God, that we can look to you! Thank you that we can trust you. Thank you, Lord God, that we know that you hold everything in the palm of your hands, and no matter what happens, Lord God, we know that we can trust you, that you are good and that you are faithful, and that you watch over those that are yours, Lord God. We know, Lord God, that you hear us, Lord Jesus, and that we can cry out to you just as Jonah! And it says that in his distress he called to The Lord, and you answered him. And so, Lord, I pray that our children would not forget that you hear and that you answer, that you are good, Lord. Lord, I just pray that our children would remember this time... remember this time as that opportunity to spend with our family, to grow in you, to spend that time with you, Lord Jesus, and that their response would be of your mercy and of your love and of your kindness. Amen!

God bless, and I pray that this would be a time of growing and knowing and hearing what the Lord has to say.