Me and My House

This morning in church I listened to my six-year-old daughter praise the Lord. As I held Telsa in my arms, her little voice sang along to every song. She’d obviously heard them all on the radio and in Sunday school - even some I wasn’t familiar with - and knew every word. Telsa is still learning to read, so any song she sings is by heart. Well, she sang from the heart this morning, and in doing so, she blessed mine. 

Ever since becoming a dad, my most frequent prayer is that my children would walk with Christ. More than happiness, future godly spouses, good health, safety, work ethic, success in life… more than anything, I want them to be filled with the Holy Spirit, covered with Christ’s blood, and know their heavenly Father so well that their God-given identity would never be shaken. I lift them up in prayer often, but sometimes I still worry. 

Kids will be kids, and nobody’s perfect. They’re prone to sin just like everyone else - bad behavior, lying, and disobedience. Will they choose Christ over a selfish life? I worry about them drifting away in their teenage years, something that sadly occurs often among adolescents. Is the faith of my children just the product of their upbringing? Are they just going through the motions of their parents’ religion? I hope not, because God has no grandchildren, that is, nobody receives salvation through their parents’ faith. The Father has children only - everyone must receive salvation for themself. Parents can’t do it for them.  

As their father, I have a big influence on my kids. I hope I can follow in the footsteps of other influential godly parents who came before me. Moses raised his children in the faith, which was a prominent reason he was chosen to lead Israel (Gen 18:19). Timothy’s faith was attributed to his godly heritage, particularly the women in his life (2 Tim 1:5; 2 Tim 3:15). God even chose his own Son to be raised by a righteous man (Mt 1:19).

However, not all children follow their parents in faith. In our home, we take turns praying before dinner and bedtime, but sometimes my kids refuse. In these cases, there’s little I can do about it. In fact, the more I try to force Christ on them, the more they’ll resist. Everyone - children included - must be free to accept or reject God as they choose, and their decision must be respected. 

Thus, I worry. I wish it was as easy as Joshua’s proclamation over his own family: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Josh 24:15). However, nothing in parenthood or faith is rarely that simple. So I pray, again and again. I lift my children up to the Lord, that he would hold their hearts so securely that they’d never drift away. 

This morning, God spoke back to me. With her arms wrapped around my neck, Telsa was singing straight into my ear. Her voice proclaimed Jesus’ powerful name, hosanna in the highest, and how the Father’s sons and daughters are anointed. I heard my little girl sing that Jesus was worthy of it all. And as her song blessed my heart, I heard this from the Lord: “I’ve heard you. I got this.”

My children’s eternal destiny isn’t up to me.  In a way, it’s not even up to them. It’s in God’s hands. The Lord knows how important their salvation is to me, but if I know anything about God, their salvation is even more important to him. Despite my worry, I can see that he’s doing it. He’s saving them. They do believe, in their own childlike way. My kids still have lots to learn and lots of growing up to do, but for now they’re on the narrow road.

If you have children of your own - or nieces or nephews, grandchildren, or other children in your life - take a moment to pray with me. Let’s lift those little souls up to our heavenly Father right now.

Lord, may these children know you intimately. May they be covered in Christ’s blood. May they experience your salvation every day, from now into eternity. And may they fully commit their lives into your hands, daily confessing their sin and surrendering themselves. Help us to do everything we can to support, encourage, and pray for them in their walk with Christ. And please, may the words of Joshua apply to our family: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Amen.

© D. B. Ryen Incorporated, November 2024.