I recently attended an awards ceremony at one of my children’s schools, and I saw a few grandparents present at the event. I don’t know if they were raising their grandchildren or not, but when I saw them, the Spirit of the Lord came over me and I heard the Lord say, “I have a word for those that are raising their grandchildren.” At that moment, He opened His heart to me about His feelings and desires towards those who are raising their grandchildren.

We all probably know a grandparent that’s having to raise their grandchildren. Maybe the parents of the grandchildren are on drugs or in jail. Maybe their grandchildren have been taken by the state. In other cases, children’s parents are sick, died prematurely, or are suffering from mental disorders. 

If you find yourself raising one of your grandchildren, the Lord has a word for you!

Some of you did everything you thought you could possibly do to raise your children in the ways of the Lord. You were involved in a Spirit-filled church and/or a Bible-believing church. Some of you homeschooled. Others of you made the home the center of your spirituality. You modeled prayer and holy living in the home. You discipled your children, and now they have wandered from the faith, are suffering from profound sickness, or have died a premature death. Now, in a season of life where you planned on enjoying freedom and rest, you find yourself with young children and teens in the house.  

Troubling Questions

Some of you are wondering, “Why am I having to do this, when what I did the first time didn’t work? If I failed the first time, then why am I having to do this again?” Others of you poured your life into your children, only to have them become incapacitated by sickness or mental illness.  Tragically, some of you have even lost your children. (Even as I am writing this, I see a woman who is raising the children of her daughter who died in a car accident. The kids were in the car with her when she died and you’re just treading water trying to navigate your own grief and the grief of the children. I declare to you that you’re not going to drown. There is an abundance of grace coming to you and your grandchildren. The Lord sees you and He is sustaining you! You would have died from the grief if it was not for His sustaining hand.) 

If you find yourself in one of these situations, or asking some of these questions, listen closely. There are a few messages the Lord wants me to pass on to you.

1.  Your investment is not lost.

You invested in your children. You discipled and imparted. You exposed them to the truth and to the moving of the Spirit. Yet for whatever reason, the enemy slipped in and robbed that investment from your children. You feel hopeless.  But the Lord says to you, “Your investment is not lost. Your legacy has not been stolen. For I have seen your works and I will now apply your previous investments that were invested into your children into your grandchildren. Your legacy has not been lost, but it will be compounded. In the cases of sin, your grandchildren will painfully observe the terrors of sowing to the flesh, but it will instill a fear of the Lord within them (Galatians 6:7-8). My grace and keeping power will manifest powerfully within them.”

2.  There is a special strength coming.

Many of you are asking, “How can I do this? I’m too tired. I don’t have the strength.”  The Lord is saying to you, “I’m giving you strength in this very moment. I’m sustaining you and I will continue to do so.”

3.  The Lord is bridging the gap.

In some cases, you don’t have the strength to do everything, but the Lord says to you, “I’m bridging the gap.” Am I not the Father to the fatherless (Psalms 68:5)? When your ability runs out, then I will parent them with My loving-kindness.”

4. There is no condemnation.

Some of you are suffering condemnation on every front. You feel like a failure as a parent. You don’t feel like your children would have been in the situation they are in now if you had been a better parent. You don’t believe you’re giving your grandchildren what they need. You can’t be at every event. You don’t have the energy to teach like you once did. You can’t play with them like you once did with your kids. The Lord is saying to you, “There is no condemnation, and even as you read this I’m freeing you of guilt and shame (Romans 8:1). Fix your eyes on the good days ahead, and know that there are plenty of good days ahead.”

5. Wisdom will trump energy.

For the Lord wants you to know, “The wisdom that you have now at an older age will trump the benefits of the vitality of youth. Your wisdom in your old age will outperform the best efforts of your youth. This is not a hopeless situation, for you are better now than you were before.”

6. It’s okay to receive help.

Finally, I heard the Lord saying, “When people who you trust come alongside you to help you, it’s okay to receive their help. For I will lift your burden when you are weak.”

Father, I pray for every grandparent who is raising grandchildren. I speak grace and strength to them. Release Your favor over their life, and through them, raise a radical generation of Christ-followers who will rock their generation with the power of the gospel. Pour out Your Spirit on them both, in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.