LIVING WATERS
For the proclamation of the Gospel and the edification of the Body of Christ
Turning Our Hearts to Our Children
"And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children" (Luke 1:17).
When the hearts of the parents are truly turned to the children, then necessarily the hearts of the children will be turned to the parents. The greatest responsibility lies with the parents. The greatest loss in the children is occasioned when the parents have not sown in them the seed of truth. For at least fifteen years, children are at the beck and call of their parents, with a receptive mind and a sensitive heart. If we do not then sow in them the good seed, we must repent and take the first step. As we begin to reap the bitter fruit of our children's apostasy and rebellion, we must be the first to begin to take things back.
You have yet to reap all that you have sown. But, undoubtedly, the day will come when you will win your child's heart. The rebelliousness of the children today is only the consequence of the parents' indifference towards their children. The indifference of today was preceded by yesterday's indifference on the part of the parents to obey the Lord in their responsibility to their children.
There are two Old Testament examples, which are polar opposites in this matter. Abraham and Eli. "And the LORD said, Shall I conceal from Abraham what I will do? For I know that he will command his sons and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD" (Gen. 18:17-19). It is because of Abraham's faithfulness as a father that God entrusts him with an important secret. Abraham is a positive example of how children are taught. Isaac's character is one of the most precious in the entire Bible.
Let us look at the case of Eli. The Lord says to him: "Why have you honored your sons more than me, by fattening yourselves with the chief of all the offerings of my people Israel" (1 Sam. 2:29). Here, children are an obstacle for a man of God to exercise his ministry. Then the Lord adds: "I will judge his house forever ... because his sons have blasphemed God and he has not hindered them". To hinder is to prevent someone from doing something. Eli knew of the sins his sons committed in the tabernacle, but he only advised them. He was not able to hinder his sons, and that was the cause of their downfall.
It is necessary to teach this, because we see every day parents who spoil their children, whom they disobey again and again without anything happening. That is not a trait of love on our part, but of disobedience to the Lord. The restorative work of our day, just as in John's day, aims at the normalization of family relationships. As a consequence of parents turning to their children, the children's hearts will be healed, they will be recovered from their rebellion, and their hearts will become fertile for the seed of God's word.