Hope For The Children

When I married I wanted at least three children. The Lord gave me four. But one went home at the age of 5 months. I say home because, as children of God, we are sojourners and pilgrims on the earth. Now, with the last three to raise, I'm wondering, How can I raise them to love the Lord and be mighty servants of God? How can I raise them to be loyal and faithful? How can I instill in them the fear of the Lord?

If you are raising children, you want the best for them. As I do, you worry and sometimes feel inadequate raising them in the ways of the Lord. Maybe you even feel you are not doing enough for them. If you have grown children, you may feel you have failed them.

But there is hope! As servants of the Lord, our role as parents is to teach our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. This does not mean we should teach children to dread God for fear of punishment.

Three practices have helped me and given me peace, joy, comfort and hope. The first one is teaching the fear of the Lord. Our forefathers in the Old Testament were told the word of God should not depart from their mouth, and they should teach it to their children. By making Bible study a daily habit and taking a few minutes everyday to discuss the word of God with our children, we are teaching them that the word of God will be their guide.

As they confront everyday situations, teach them to think about the word of God before making a decision. Explain that perhaps God has instructions about the specific situation. Of course, we know not all decisions have an answer in the Bible, but the basis for all decisions is found there. I remember an incident with my little one who wasn't quite truthful to me about an issue. As soon as I started quoting this verse, “The Lord detests lying lips,” he immediately changed the story and I got the answer I needed before I finished the verse.

We should teach them how important the fear of the Lord is by showing them the advantages of honoring the Lord. Having them memorize the following verses from Proverbs outlining the benefits of the fear of the Lord for all believers is helpful: Proverbs 1:7; 8:13; 9:10; 10:27; 14:27; 15:33; and 19:23.

When I pray, I always ask the Lord for wisdom. I used to read Proverbs 15:33 quite literally, without really getting much of it until one day the Lord impressed into my spirit these words, “Wisdom instructs you in the fear of the Lord.” Isn't that wonderful! Glory to God! Hallelujah! May these words revive your soul, touch your heart and uplift your spirit as they do mine. What I hold on to and found to be true is that in the fear of the Lord, there is strong confidence and our children will have a refuge (Proverbs 14:26).

The second practice is discipline. Proverbs 13:24: “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.” Proverbs 23:13: “Do not withhold discipline from a child.” And last, Proverbs 29:15 and 17: “A child left to himself disgraces his mother.” “Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul.” Of course, all discipline should be appropriate to the age and personality of the child. The Bible contains many powerful verses about disciplining our children. Ask God for wisdom with any situation you confront.

The third one is prayer. How often do we pray for our children? Prayers for our children should be as important as making sure they have food, shelter and clothing. You may be thinking, my nest is empty. If you are parents, whether your children live with you or not, this last one applies to all who have children. It is of utmost importance that we pray for our children's salvation, school, friends, behavior, character, a job, future spouse, a career, healing for the body, and the will of God in their lives. The loving Father is waiting to hear our prayers to intervene in our children's lives. He is willing to empower them for success to make them the light and salt he created them to be. We should not only pray for our children, but also for our grandchildren, great-grandchildren, other people's children, and for each other.

Remember our children are sanctified by our acceptance of the Lord and they were placed in our care for the few years on earth for a purpose. As the Holy Father found Mary worthy to raise baby Jesus, he has found you worthy to take care of the little ones he placed in your care.

Let's make these words from Lamentations 2:19 a continual way of living for us: “Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands toward him for the lives of your children.”

Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and obey it! (Luke 11:28)

Marie Monaus