Message
Many years ago, when my children were still little, one of them fell terribly ill. We had already made Jesus our Great Physician, so whenever anyone fell sick in our family, we would simply pray, and God would heal the fellow. In this instance, however, I prayed to God, worshipped Him, and did everything I knew to do for the boy’s health to be restored, but he did not get better. In my frustration, I asked, “Lord, why have You refused to heal my son?” and God responded, “He is your son; why don’t you heal him yourself?” I immediately realised my mistake and said, “I’m sorry, Lord, he is Your son; please heal Your son.” Within an hour, the boy was back on his feet, playing around.
Parents do not own their children; they are only caretakers. Children are gifts from God, so the owner of children is God Himself (); therefore, they are to be taken care of according to His will. Parents who fail to realise that their children belong to God will tend to raise them contrary to His plan. When an angel appeared to Manoah and his wife to tell them that they would give birth to a son, Manoah asked a crucial question that every parent should ask about the children God gives them:
…How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him?
Manoah understood that the child they were about to give birth to was from God and belonged to Him. He knew that he was limited as a person in knowing the best way to teach and nurture the child. After asking the crucial question above, the angel gave him and his wife specific instructions on what to avoid during her pregnancy, and how to raise the child after birth.
Parents should not lean on their understanding when raising children. They should not try to raise the children God has committed into their care the way others are doing it, because He has customised instructions for raising every child. If you are a parent, ask God to show you how He wants you to raise His child(ren) in your custody. Furthermore, don’t be tempted to own the child(ren) God has put in your care. Always involve Him in your decisions concerning His child(ren), and He will help you to raise them to fulfil His purpose for their lives, in Jesus’ name.