Shouts of GraceSample

Grace for Extended Family

What does God want for your family? Probably much more than you think.

God changed Abram’s name, which meant “exalted father,” to Abraham, which means “father of nations” because He wanted to bless him and his descendants and the world through them (Genesis 17:5 and 12:2). The sons and grandsons of Issachar were “valiant men of might in their generations” (1 Chronicles 7:1-5). His offspring, 200 of them, “understood the times and knew what Israel ought to do” (1 Chronicles 12:32). God promised that He would “establish a house” for David and work with his descendants all the way to Jesus, whose throne would be eternal (2 Samuel 7:11-16). I know that these examples are “over the top.” But God is “over the top,” and hasn’t changed.

Let’s take a quick look at an extended family you probably haven’t heard of. Recab’s son Jehonadab joined hands with newly anointed King Jehu to fulfill Elijah the prophet’s command to end the rule of wicked King Ahab and destroy Baal worship in Israel (2 Kings 10:15, 23-28). Two or three generations later the Recabites, because they kept the commandments of Jehonadab, maintained their nomadic life and simply weren’t there when the inhabitants of Jerusalem were brutally decimated and dragged away as exiles to Babylon. That Recabite generation also “passed the test” of family fidelity given by the prophet Jeremiah (read Jeremiah 25). And two more generations later, when the exiles returned, Malchiah, the Recabite ruler of one of the districts of Jerusalem, oversaw the rebuilding of the section of the city wall in his neighborhood (Nehemiah 3:14-15).

God’s plan for your family is much bigger than yours. So, isn’t it time for you to pray for grace to exceed your current expectations and raise your family goals up to something more worthy of your God? Where do you start? Right where you are. And how do you do it? One day at a time.

Pastor Deborah Cobrae’s testimony is well-known by those who have been in Rock Church for a while. Some of her and Pastor Jim’s children “went AWOL” for a few years, rejecting their standards, and living carnal lives. One day when she was overwhelmed with weeping from her broken heart, Holy Spirit spoke to her through Jeremiah 31:15-17 and told her, “Refrain thy voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears: for your work shall be rewarded…They shall come back from the land of the enemy. Your children shall come again to their own border.” So they began making faith declarations, and treated them as if God was going to answer their prayers. And He did.

- Pastor Steve Kobernik

Faith Declaration

By God’s grace, I will raise my prayers, expectations, and goals for every member of my extended family to become zesty salt and bright lights for Jesus in this world!

Journal Directions

1. Linda and I decided when our children were small that we wanted our family to be characterized by gratitude. Name a Christian characteristic or two that you would like your family to be known for and write down a step or two that you can take now in that direction.
2. Ask your parents, uncles, aunts, or grandparents, “What are the best things that have come down from your family line? How can I help develop that in my family?” Summarize your conclusions.
3. Set aside a time to pray with your spouse if s/he will cooperate, for your siblings and your children -- by name, one at a time, and in tongues if you are comfortable doing so -- and listen. Journal any ideas that come that may be from the Lord and ask Holy Spirit how to share those ideas with them to encourage them.