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"Parenting is not a Game of Hide and Seek" By Ray Rhodes of "Nourished in the Word Ministries"

Nourished in the Word Ministries
Teaching, Writing, Resources, Church Planting
Ray Rhodes, Jr. President
678.697.4495
www.nourishedintheword.org


Parenting is not a game of Hide and Seek

There are some things that should be concealed. Both Scripture and common sense tell us that there is a time to be quiet (Proverbs 25:9).

However concealment can be both ungodly and dangerous. Hide and Seek may be a fun game but when it comes to parenting there are some things that we are commanded by God not to conceal. The faithful parent will be committed to a clear articulation of certain truths. Anything less is offensive to God and puts our children in grave danger.

Listen to the urgent words of Asaph! “We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done” (Psalm 78:4). Asaph had a proper theology of parenting. Asaph understood that the children of God’s people do not belong only to their parents. They belong to previous generations. Notice the inclusive words---“we” and “their.” Aspah’s perspective of children was that they were children of “our fathers” (Vs 3).

Asaph’s generation received truth about God from their fathers. This information-- both the facts and the application was to be invested in the next generation and through them to all generations that would follow.

It is ungodly and dangerous to conceal the character of God from our children.

Asaph promises not to hide God’s character but to tell of “His strength and His wonderful works that He has done” (4). Psalm 78 is a highlight reel of the strength and works of God. Asaph reminds us that we must not hide God from our children.

We must teach our children of His character, of His great works in history and of His law. We must also teach them how people have responded historically to God both positively and negatively.

Why must we teach our children these things?

That the fame of God will be known to future generations (6).
We teach our children about God, His great works, and His laws so that our children will tell our grandchildren. A faithful parent will be a visionary parent. Through his own children he will invest in his great-great grandchildren. The ultimate objective is that God will be glorified in future generations.

That God will be trusted by children both present and future (7).
Psalm 78 makes it crystal clear that one of the primary goals of parenting is that our children and grand children would know and trust God. Parenting requires the focus of a soldier in battle. There are many distractions that will side track our efforts if we are not focused on primary objectives. Our children learn to trust God as we both visually and verbally indicate our own trust in Him. By visually I mean that our children learn to trust that which we trust. They must see us trusting God both in good times and bad. They as well must see that we trust God enough to do what He requires. As well we must verbally teach them from the Bible that God is trustworthy. Psalm 78 is a good place to start.

That they will remember God (7).
Forgetfulness of the great works of God in history will lead one to a life of thanklessness. It was the children of Ephraim who “forgot His works and His wonders that He had shown them” (Psalm 78:11). It is easy to forget-- therefore we must purposefully remember. The primary reason that we are to participate in the Lord’s Supper is to remember Christ. Each time we come to the table of our Lord we are reminded of the awfulness of sin and the amazing character of His grace that is best illustrated by His death on the cross. May we never forget the gospel! Throughout the Old Testament parents are commanded to do things that would inspire remembrance. One of the primary reasons that Joshua was to set up the 12 stones in Gilgal was to remind the children of the great delivering work of their faithful God (Joshua 4: 21ff). What are you doing in your family that will help you to recall the faithfulness of God and that can serve as an object lesson to your children? One thing that I would suggest is to keep a providence journal. In a providence journal you could recount specific ways that God has been faithful to your family. You might also record answered prayers. Read to your children from this journal and remind them of the faithfulness of God.

That God might be obeyed (7).
There have been those historically who have defined the Puritans as that group of people who had a “haunting fear that someone somewhere might be having fun.” That of course is a caricature of the Puritans. However that same picture often emerges in the mind of some people when they think about God. God, however, is not the great cosmic kill-joy who searches the world looking for a smiling Christian that He might smite. The joy that the Lord gives is a great and lasting joy that is sustained in good times and bad. God’s law gives us the requirements of God which are requirements that do not make our joy less but in fact deepens our joy. The law of God is a safe haven for the trusting believer driving him ever closer to Christ. The parent who loves his children must require obedience. He will also warn his children of disobedience by teaching him from the examples of history.

It will be a tragedy for your family if you hide God from your children. For your home to bring positive glory to God you must have the commitment of Asaph who declared; “We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done” (Psalm 78:4).

Question to Consider. What are some ways that a parent might conceal the character of God from His children?

Ray Rhodes, Jr. is President of Nourished in the Word Ministries. To schedule Ray for your next family conference contact him at 678.697.4495

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