RUSTING GOD WITH MY CHILD
And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. Genesis 22:6
We can watch our children suffer from many causes. They may get sick just because we live in a fallen world. They may groan under the consequences of their own choices. But additionally, if they have heard the call of God on their lives, we will see their faith tested. Perhaps we’ve walked a similar road and we know how crushing this testing can be. There will be moments when we cry out, “Lord, it’s all I can do to trust You with my child. Please strengthen my faith!”
As I watch my child come to the end of their resources as Jesus did in the desert of His testing, I will do about anything to end their torment. But the worst part of divine shaping is not the physical pain but spiritual anguish. To see childlike faith crack into pieces rocks a parent’s heart. I stay on my knees and ask God to preserve my child’s confidence in His love and promises.
If ever a book could be written from a single verse, today’s scripture would be one of them. What is not recorded are the thoughts of this father’s heart. He appears he was calm, standing in faith for Isaac, but he was still a father. And though my faith is in tact, I am still a mother.
The tears of our children’s darkest moments cannot define our perspective. The stunning, end result of their testing cannot be seen yet. We need to trust God and hold on. In the meantime, we must not afflict our children with platitudes. This will alienate them from us – the very ones they may be trusting to walk with them through the experience. What can we do? Share our tears, pray their stories out loud with our arms around them, and assure them that God loves them.
As a parent, we must ‘build the bridges of friendship strong enough to support the truth.’ We may squirm as we enter in to their doubts, questions, and tears, but we are to be fully engaged in their grueling faith-walk. Nothing binds families together like a spiritual pilgrimage.
Lord, there is a prize. My child, on the other side of any spiritual desert, will be dazzling. Amen
Journal Question: Jesus prayed without ceasing. In the garden before His crucifixion, He cried out to His father in loud cries and tears. His Father would have answered Him. What might He have said to comfort Him?
For more from Christine Wyrtzen and Jaime Wyrtzen Lauze, please visit www.daughtersofpromise.org
For more from Christine Wyrtzen and Jaime Wyrtzen Lauze, please visit www.daughtersofpromise.org
Originally published Tuesday, 03 September 2024.
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