I am not God

A word for parents...

A little hermeneutics from this weekend…

Proverbs are not always promises, but they are principles. A Proverb describes how God’s world ordinarily works, not how it always works in every circumstance.

If Proverbs 22:6 were a guaranteed promise, "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it," then we would have some serious problems.

Scripture would testify against itself…

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Some of Israel’s most faithful kings had wicked sons. Conversely, some of Israel’s most wicked kings had godly sons who feared the Lord and pursued righteousness.

Consider God Himself. No father has ever been wiser, more loving, more patient, or more faithful than God the Father. Yet Satan rebelled. Adam rebelled. Israel continues to rebel. Created beings possess real moral agency and are responsible for their own choices, and left on our own, we will always pursue self-rule, self-sufficiency, and self-worship.

Thus, Proverbs 22:6 is not a guarantee that perfect parenting produces perfect children. It is a principle that faithful formation matters.

Children who are taught God’s Word, disciplined in love, and shown a faithful example are far more likely to walk in truth and freedom than those who are not.

Our responsibilities as parents [biological and spiritual] are to plant, water, teach, model, correct, encourage, and pray. The outcome belongs to God, but the responsibility to train belongs to us.

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So what happens when we have a wayward child? What do we do when we taught them the Scriptures, brought them to church, prayed with them, disciplined them in love, modeled faithfulness, and yet they still choose a lesser path?

Let me tell you what we do… We keep training. Our work is not finished.

Keep praying.

Keep loving.

Keep speaking truth.

Keep leaving the porch light on.

The story is not over until God says it is over.

Think about the father in Luke 15. The prodigal left. He squandered his inheritance. He broke his father’s heart. Yet every indication in the story is that the father never stopped hoping. He never stopped watching. He never stopped loving.

And when the son finally came home, the father was already looking down the road.

Many parents carry unnecessary guilt because their children have wandered. Certainly, we should repent where we have failed. Every parent has shortcomings. But there is a difference between parental imperfection and parental negligence. Faithful parents can have rebellious children.

So if your son is rebelling, pray.

If your daughter is running, pray.

If your grandchild seems far from God, pray.

Pray all the way to the grave. Do not stop believing that God can do in a moment what you could not accomplish in 40 years. The command remains clear: "Train up a child in the way he should go…"

That is our responsibility. We are called to plant, water, teach, model, correct, encourage, pray, and then rest in the sovereignty of God. This may be the hardest thing to do… You and I are called to faithfulness, not omnipotence. We cannot regenerate hearts. We cannot guarantee outcomes. We cannot carry the weight of our children’s eternity on our shoulders.

Only God saves.

This truth should humble us when our children walk with Christ, and it should comfort us when they wander. The same God who saves children from good homes saves children from broken homes. God is more committed to His glory and our children’s salvation than we could ever be.

I take heart in knowing this.

For the King,

— Harp

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