Have you ever wondered what your children will grow up to be? Have you thought about the profession they will choose? Have you wondered if they would do something of prominence? Would they be an average person? Have you trusted them to God’s plan?
We often worry about our children. We try to steer them toward success. We may allow them to choose their own profession but do all we can to help them along the way. There is nothing inherently wrong with wanting our children to do well. However, God’s plan is better than ours.
Unlike us, Zechariah knew who John would become from the time Gabriel gave him the news he and Elizabeth would have a son. Zechariah may have doubted initially, but he had come to believe Gabriel’s message with his whole heart. He prophesied via the Holy Spirit that John would be the one who went before Jesus to prepare the way. John would not only fulfill his father’s prophecy but prophecy of Old Testament prophets.
Though we may not have the clarity about the purpose of our child in the same way Zechariah had, we can know with certainty that God has a plan for our children. One of our purposes is to guide them along that path. We are to teach them about God. We are to teach them to rely on God. Teaching about God without teaching to rely on God may quickly end in failure.
If we are wondering why so many young people leave the church, perhaps we should ask if they were taught to rely on God. Just like Zechariah and Elizabeth must have taught John God’s ways and to rely on him, we must teach our children. We must ingrain in them that God has a purpose for them, just like he did for John, even if it is a different purpose. When people have a purpose in life, they are more engaged and productive.
I pray we all know that God has a purpose for our lives. I pray we choose to teach our children about God and to rely on God. I pray we teach our children to seek their purpose in life from God. God has a purpose for you. Teach your children about God. Teach your children to rely on God. Help your children find their purpose in God.
Luke 1:76-77
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
by the forgiveness of their sins.
Marty Pressey 