Prayers from My Great Great Grandmother - Encouragement for Today - May 7, 2019

Peace and perspective from God's timeless truths. [View this email in your browser]( Encouragement for Today --------------------------------------------------------------- [Kathy Howard] May 7, 2019 Prayers from My Great-Great-Grandmother [KATHY HOWARD, COMPEL Member]( [ Listen to this devotion]( “I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” [2 Timothy 1:5]( (NIV) The letter was dated March 26, 1914. I unfolded the fragile, yellowed paper and struggled to read the faded ink. I found this letter and several others in an old metal box at my parents’ house. Addressed to Howell Adam Shouse, my maternal great-grandfather, they were written by his mother, Mary Dozier Shouse, more than a century ago. Much of the news was what you’d expect: who’d been sick, gotten married, and been to visit. She wrote about a fall she had six weeks earlier but assured him she was doing better. One paragraph made me chuckle. Mary Dozier praised God that Howell had “quit whiskey,” then in the next breath, she encouraged him to also “quit tobacco.” I smiled. Like most mothers, she wanted what was best for her son. Mary Dozier asked about Howell’s wife and young daughter (my grandmother) and expressed her love for each. She also wrote how she longed to see her “dear son.” But one paragraph brought tears to my eyes: “Oh, how much I do pray for you every single morning and night. I pray mightily to the Lord that you, Howell, and your children, may be convicted and converted and sanctified. Never a day do I miss. May God hear and answer my prayers and save us all in heaven.” This amazing discovery thrilled me. Mary Dozier, my great-great-grandmother, prayed daily for the spiritual well-being of her son and his children. She faithfully petitioned God to make her son and his family aware of their need for a Savior (convict), to draw them into a saving relationship with Jesus (convert) and to grow them up into the likeness of Christ (sanctify). As I read those words, I knew her prayers also covered me. Long before I was born, my great-great-grandmother prayed for me and my eternal, spiritual good. I don't know the spiritual condition of Howell Adam Shouse, but I do know his daughter, my grandmother, loved Jesus. She consistently pointed me toward the Lord, and my mother has done the same. My faith reflects the faith of my great-great-grandmother. Praying women can impact generations. For example, our key verse points out how much the faith of a grandmother and mother influenced Timothy, one of the key leaders in the early church. The Apostle Paul acknowledged these women when he wrote to Timothy: “I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also” ([2 Timothy 1:5](. What a blessing to know that my grandmother’s grandmother prayed for the spiritual condition of her descendants. Her faith impacted the generations that followed her, including me. [Continue reading...]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Read about Salem Web Network]( | [Subscription Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( --------------------------------------------------------------- © 2019 Salem Web Network. All rights reserved. 111 Virginia Street, Suite 500, Richmond, VA 23219. This email is never sent unsolicited. You are receiving this email because your email address, {EMAIL}, is signed up to receive newsletters, updates, and special offers from Encouragement for Today. [Link](