June 23
2 Kings 15:32-38; 2 Chronicles 27:1-9; Micah 1:1-16; 2 Kings 16:1-9; 2 Chronicles 28:1-15; Isaiah 7:1-25
Every child is created by God, not us. Every child belongs to God, not us. Though children are raised dependent upon us, our role as parents is not to make them independent which is the common wisdom, but rather to enable them to become dependent on their true Father, God. That should be the goal of every parent. But even if those parents do everything "right", that does not guarantee that everything will turn out right. We must never forget that every child has free choice and ultimately they are responsible for their own choices, parents merely can assist in this process. Though Franklin Graham, the son of Billy Graham, is now a respected preacher, he spent years as a self-proclaimed "bad boy" pushing the boundaries, despite his being raised by godly parents. Many are unaware that Malcolm X, the leader of the nation of Islam, was the son of a Baptist preacher. When children excel and do well, parents tend to exalt themselves. When children take wrong paths and perhaps turn out not as they would wish, parents tend to beat themselves up. Modern psychology has done much to further this finger pointing at parents to attempt to explain every fault of their children. Though raising children is a serious responsibility, we share only part of that responsibility. Many of that child's choices will be made by that child by him or herself, influenced by society and peers, etc. When children make poor choices we need to pray for them and attempt to help them back if possible. Some will go so far that they will have to be let alone to their own decisions for a while. When children turn out godly, then praise God!
We come to the next king of Judah, and he has a fine lineage as we read in Isaiah 7:1, "When Ahaz, son of Jotham and grandson of Uzziah..." Both, though they had made some mistakes, were godly kings. But we learn that Ahaz chose a different and evil path, as we read 2 Chronicles 28:1-4, "Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. He did not do what was pleasing in the sight of the Lord, as his ancestor David had done. Instead, he followed the example of the kings of Israel. He cast metal images for the worship of Baal. He offered sacrifices in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, even sacrificing his own sons in the fire. In this way, he followed the detestable practices of the pagan nations the Lord had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites. He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the pagan shrines and on the hills and under every green tree." This was not a small detour from the things of God, but a complete departure. We will find in the life of Ahaz that he trusted in everything else: his intellect, his allies, his false gods, etc., except the One True God. Does this mean that Jotham did something wrong? No! Does this mean that Jotham's wife did something wrong? NO! This means that Ahaz did something wrong and that he made poor choices.
So when children don't turn out the way we had hoped, the answer is not to walk around guilty trying to figure out where you went wrong. There are still things that can be done to positively influence that child as long as that child is willing to listen and is sensitive to your influence. But other times such might not be the case, in which case you can continue to pray for that child. We must also be careful not to point our fingers at others when they have prodigal children. Too many make statements like that pastor spent too many hours with his flock and not enough with his own children, that father spent too many hours building his business and not enough at home, that mother favored this child and ignored that child, etc. This needs to stop because it is hurtful and not helpful. Also, none of us actually know what goes on in another person's household. So, when we have children, we must never forget that they are a gift from God, on loan from God, but that they ultimately belong to God. Though we take this responsibility seriously, we must also give ourselves grace and mercy, as we and they, at times, make mistakes. Pray them forward. Never stop trying to influence them for the things of God, even if your children are now adults. And if and when they choose God, then praise God!
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: