Shuranda Hall - Still Standing

James 1:17 tells us that every good and perfect gift comes from God. In Psalms 127:3, we are reminded that children are a heritage and gift from the Lord. Since the truth is established in the mouth of two or three witnesses, we can conclude that children are a good and perfect gift and inheritance from God.

Parenting is an entrustment from God, where He is trusting a father and/or mother in raising a godly seed for His purpose. Whether youre a biological parent, spiritual parent, adopted parent, foster parent, acquired parent (In-laws) or grandparent, this is a huge entrustment from God. In 2 Timothy 1:12, it states Gods expectation from us as parents.

And this is why I am suffering as I do. Still I am not ashamed, for I know (perceive, have knowledge of, and am acquainted with) Him Whom I have believed (adhered to and trusted in and relied on), and I am [positively] persuaded that He is able to guardandkeep that which has been entrusted to meand which I have committed [to Him] until that day. (2 Timothy 1:12, Amplified Classic Edition)

From this passage, we can see that we are entrusted first by God, but it is wisdom to commit what He has entrusted to us back to God and in this case, these are our children. This is the essence of child dedication, where a parent dedicates the children, He has given to them back to Him. However, in order to effectively dedicate or commit them back into His hands, there are some important steps that need to have been established, which includes knowing him, believing him and trusting in His ability to guard and keep our children.

Lets examine some responsibilities on us as parents:

Responsibilities of Parents

To Know Him

It is one thing to know about God, but it is another thing to have a personal relationship with God. This is knowing Him for yourself. What nature of God have you personally experienced in your life as a parent or as a believer? Lets take for example the faithfulness of God. God is a faithful God even when we are not faithful. If He has said it, He is faithful to do fulfil it. What experiences have you experienced in your life where God truly showed His faithfulness to you. E.g., securing a job, a home, having children, preserving your life from an accident. As you ponder on the faithfulness of God in those personal experiences of yours, it solidifies your confidence in God, which brings us to believing in Him.

To Believe Him

Believing in God is not just a one-time thing. It is a lifestyle of faith that needs to be cultivated. The bible says in Romans 10:17 that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Our faith and belief in God grow as we hear the word of God, which can be in different forms including, the written word of God, anointed messages/sermons, words of testimonies. As we ponder on the words that we hear from God, our faith rises, and it strengthens our faith in God. Testimonies are very powerful because they are resumes of Gods work in our lives and in the lives of others and helps fortify our faith in God.

To Trust in His Ability to Guard and Keep

Before we go to a restaurant or a hotel or on a vacation resort, we tend to look at the past track records of those places, which we call reviews. We look at the reviewing ratings and comments from past visitors to those places, which can determine if we will be visiting those spots. Likewise, it is wisdom to look at the past records of God in guarding and keeping things or people. For example, when we look at the story of Jesus, we can see that though a target was placed on His head right from young, the Lord was always one step ahead of the enemy in preserving the life of Jesus, from the hand of Herod who wanted to kill Jesus, by directing the wise men to take a different route and not return to Herod. Moses is another example of a child kept by God. When Pharaoh ordered for every male Hebrew boy to be killed at birth, the Lord preserved the life of Moses, ensuring that the midwives given the order did not obey such order and allowed the boys to live. Even when it seemed like Moses mother could no longer hide him, God made sure that Pharaohs daughter saw Moses where he was placed in the basket and decided to take care of him as her own.

To Commit our Children Back to God

Isaiah 52:12 reminds us that God will go before us and will be our rear guard. I love this verse because it is a reminder that we do not need to do the watching of our back or the backs of our children. God has decided to take that responsibility, but it is our responsibility to hand them over to God. Just like in a wrestling match, where the only way a wrestler can take advantage of the extra support of the wrestler outside of the ring by shaking them, the same goes with parenting. If we do not involve God and commit our children back to God, God will not force His way into our lives or our childrens lives. We must give Him permission by allowing Him to take charge over their lives. Remember, these children are primarily Gods children and we as parents are only stewards over them. It is wisdom to allow God to direct the affairs of their lives and align ourselves to His perfect plan and will for their lives. He is the one who wrote the scripts of their lives, and He is willing and able to care for them.