Fanny became blind at six weeks old at the hands of a fake doctor. But her grandmother Eunice resolved that Fanny would never grow up feeling disabled or deprived. Eunice devoted years to training Fanny in all kinds of things – teaching her the Bible, assisting her in exploring nature, and enabling her to develop incredible powers of memory. Fanny memorised large sections of the Bible. From that treasury of Scripture, she later produced some of the best-loved hymns we sing today. ‘Blessed Assurance’, ‘To God Be the Glory’, ‘All the Way My Saviour Leads Me’, and ‘He Hideth My Soul’. In the Bible, Timothy had a grandmother named Lois, whose prayers and example helped mould him into none other than the apostle Paul’s successor. Paul writes, ‘I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother’ (2 Timothy 1:5 NKJV). Never underestimate the influence you have as a grandparent. As you pour yourself into your grandchildren, you may be moulding servants of the Lord. If you are a grandparent, claim this promise from the Scriptures: ‘One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.’ Perhaps your children have disappointed you and failed to raise your grandchildren in the ways of the Lord. Don’t be discouraged, and don’t give up. ‘I sought for a man among them who would…stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land’ (Ezekiel 22:30 NKJV). Your prayers are God’s invitation and entry point into the lives of both your children and your grandchildren. So, ‘stand in the gap’, and believe God for the salvation of your family.
