I received the special gift of grandparenting as I was approaching my midlife season. It was exciting to become a grandparent at 43 years of age. However, I learned that along with this gift came a sacred trust to imprint another generation with the message of God's faithfulness. Reflecting on my new responsibility, I realized my prayers were too general and vague and I became frustrated with how I was praying for my grandchildren.

After I asked God for wisdom and read several books about prayer and grandparenting, my praying changed dramatically. I discovered God's Word was a great resource to help me with my praying, not only for my family, but also for myself. Praying scripture gave me more boldness and confidence in my praying.

While surfing on the Internet looking for grandparenting resources, God directed me to the Christian Grandparenting Network (CGN) website. After sharing my passion with them, they invited me to become their National Prayer Coordinator, writing devotionals and prayer suggestions on their website.

While working with CGN God has given me the opportunity to develop the following prayer cards: Scriptures to Pray for your Grandchildren and Suggestions to Pray for Children in School from Preschool to College. At this time, we have about 25 Grandparents @ Prayer (G@P) intercessory prayer groups in the U.S. and abroad. G@P groups meet regularly to stand in the gap to pray for their grandchildren just as Esther stood in the gap when her people, the Israelites, were threatened physically. Today, grandparents can stand in the gap in prayer as the spiritual lives of our grandchildren are threatened in our world. These resources are available by emailing Lillian.

God has also given me the opportunity to write the book Grandparenting with a Purpose: Effective Ways to Pray for your Grandchildren.

Synopsis: Maybe your grandchildren are living with you. Maybe they're thousands of miles away. Their parents may be spiritually rebellious or simply neglectful of the family's spiritual life, failing to make prayer and church attendance a regular part of their routine. But even if your grandchildren's parents have established a strong Christian home, busy schedules, jobs, parenting, and all the distractions of today's world conspire to distract or even destroy the family. How can you, as a grandparent, help?

God gives grandparents a sacred trust-an opportunity to imprint another generation with the message of his faithfulness. You can stand in the gap by being a godly example for your grandchildren and by praying for them. Even grandparents who already pray regularly for their grandchildren will discover creative suggestions for making the practice even more meaningful. From cell phones to photo prayer journals, you will find tools that work for you-and for your grandchildren.

The book provides specific examples of prayers to help you get started, such as alphabet prayers, prayers based on special scriptures, and prayers for certain holidays. You may even widen the circle, praying for other children in your life, for children who have parents in the military, and for the adults who influence your grandchildren. Regardless of how far away your grandchildren are, praying for them can bridge the distance between you and leave them with an inheritance more precious than gold.