God has a purpose for every person in this world. Its the truth! Parents are given the mandate to prepare their children to fulfill God’s purposes in their lives. Parenting is an important task, especially for the father who God has made accountable for children.
1 Chronicles 28 shows how a father should prepare his children for the purpose God has prepared for them.
1. Fathers should pray for what God has in store for his children. David had a special place in God’s heart. God spoke to David clearly and directly. In 1 Chronicles 28:6, God tells David his plan for his son Solomon, “He said to me, ‘Your son Solomon will build my Temple and its courtyards, for I have chosen him as my son, and I will be his father.”
It is important for parents to pray that God’s purposes will be fulfilled in their children. Much better if we will know what that purpose is. A few years ago, a ma of God told me and my wife that one of my sons will be a pastor and the other an evangelist. We have been conscious about and have strived to steer our children to fulfill it.
2. Train your child to be successful. Our children are our responsibility and we want them to succeed in every part of their lives. God has equipped us to fulfill this task and we are duty-bound to obey, otherwise our children will fail. God admonished David to inspire and challenge Solomon to fulfill this task in 1 Chronicles 28:7, “And if he continues to obey my commands and regulations as he does now, I will make his kingdom last forever.”
3. Strive to inspire your children to faithfully follow God. We are beings created with a free will. As much as we try keep our children in a straight path, there will be times that our children will fall and fail. Wise counsel will be critical. Listen to what David told his son Solomon in 1 Chronicles 28:9, “And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.”
Our children need to know God intimately, like how a child knows his father fully well. It is important that we are also intimate with God. No one can deny that our family, our spouse or children, know our true selves. We need to be good testimonies for our children so that they may see us also as inspiration in following God.
4. Always assure your child of God’s care and provision. Let’s face it. Our children grow and mature in our care. They become dependent in us. As parents, we should teach them to be dependent on God, not with us, or themselves, but only in God. Notice how David encouraged Solomon in 1 Chronicles 28:20, “Then David continued, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. He will see to it that all the work related to the Temple of the Lord is finished correctly.”
We should teach our children, even ourselves, to let go of our children and allow them to experience God. Only through experience will they know how good God is. Just like David.
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