“How Do I Raise A Child In This Wicked World?”

“Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb are His reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.”

Psalms 127:3, 4

    Almost one week ago, my wife and I welcomed our first child into our lives, our little daughter. And throughout this first week, I have spent many moments staring at her, in wonder at God’s goodness, but also with uncertainty. What will this beautiful, innocent little girl face in her life? What trials, struggles, and grief may she face? And how do I, as her parent, raise her in this increasingly wicked and antigod world? A culture in which immoral lifestyles are celebrated, homes are wrecked with drugs, and our government has become more and more opposed to our faith in God. How do I do it?

I must give them to the Lord

    This little life is not mine, she has been given to me on loan by God. I cannot try to raise her in my own strength and wisdom, God must be at the center of our home. As King David said in the first verse of Psalm 127, “EXCEPT the Lord build the house, they labor in vain…” God must build our house. And as Hannah understand that God gave Samuel to her, and that she must give him back, so must I do with my children.

I must raise them to serve God

    Charles Spurgeon once said, “Bring up your children that they shall have every opportunity to serve the living God.” We must create an environment in our homes that is built on serving God. This begins first of all with the parents, we must say with Joshua, "as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." This cannot be something we just talk about, we must practice what we preach. It is exciting to see families sing together in church, go soulwinning together, and to pray at the altar together. 

I must recognize that they are created for a purpose and a plan

    Are these scary days in which we live? Of course it is, the Bible describes it as "perilous days." We don't know what is going to happen with our economy and we don't know what is going to happen day to day on the world scene. There is one thing we do know. We know who holds tomorrow, and we know who holds our hand! As that beloved preacher of yesteryear, Dr. Curtis Hutson said, "Did it occur to you that nothing has ever occurred to God?" Those things happening in the news today did not surprise our God. He has a wonderful plan for our lives, and for our children's lives. And just has He created Esther, "for such a time as this," He has created my child, and He has created your child to do something wonderful for His honor and His glory!

I must prepare to launch my children

    The psalmist paints a very unique picture here, when he speaks of children and their parents. He relates them as a sharp arrow resting upon a bow in the calloused hand of a mighty hunter, preparing to be launched towards a targeted location. As much as I shudder to think about it, that little foot in the photo above, will one day step out of my house for the final time as an inhabitant of my house. That little foot will one day walk down the aisle of a church beside me towards her future mate (someone of whom we are already praying for). That little foot will walk through life doing God's will for her life. And it is up to me to prepare and sharpen that arrow, and place it upon the bow in anticipation to be launched. 

    

    And so, as I look at that little face resting peacefully in her crib, I pray for her and her salvation, and that God will protect and use her, and that I will raise her as I should. Parents, let's prepare our arrows.