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Genesis 4:26 – Praying through the Bible #3 – A Prayer of Family Legacy
History can be such a cold word, meaning nothing more than facts and figures. The reality is that history is about people, about families – and that is what the future is. Genesis 4:26 says, “A son was born to Seth also, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord” (Gen 4.26). Calling on the name of the Lord means several things such as worshipping which includes obeying and praying.
If people started calling on the name of the Lord during the lifetime of Seth and his son Enosh, does that mean Adam and Eve never fully repented of their sin? Nothing good is said of either after Genesis; although both Adam and Eve name their children in respect of God (4.1,25). Whatever it means, one thing is certain. The first family is filled with dysfunction in the worse way.
There is a prayer lesson for us though. Our prayer life is not determined by our past, by parents or family history. Each generation can begin calling to the Lord. Within our folded and uplifted hands, we can help turn our family into a legacy of prayer. Seth’s family included Enoch who walked with God (Gen 5.21-22); and Noah, the only one found blameless in his lifetime who also walked with God (Gen 6.9). Having children often puts life into proper perspective, one that life itself can bend and break. For many, life gets in the way of living. For us, may our family life be part of our living and praying. As they say, “the family that prays together stays together.” More importantly, the family that prays together stays together with God.
Here is our prayer assignment for today. If alone, pray about family, both present and future. If together, pray together, whether at dinner, bedtime, before you leave on a trip, when you see an accident, before visiting someone at the hospital, or whenever and wherever. Call on the name of the Lord out loud. Pray intently and meaningfully by forgetting and foregoing pet prayer platitudes. Prayer is not always one on one with God. It can be an entire family with God. Just think, by praying today you might one day meet family members from future unmet generations in eternity. Build and make your family a legacy of prayer.
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