| by Maxine A. Randall |
But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from
whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures,
which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 3:
14-15 (NKJV)
You are doing many things right. You have prayer with your children at bedtime. You take
them to church and Sunday School. You have family worship, teaching and exhorting these
precious ones whom you hold as a trust from Almighty God. If you are homeschooling
parents, you have Bible class and you guide them in Scripture memorization. But I have a
couple of questions which I believe are crucial: Do your children have personal devotions? Do
they start at a young age, that is, as soon as they are able to read on their own?
If your answers to these questions are no, consider making it a priority in your family to
begin this practice now. As important as a daily time with the Lord may be to you, view it as
having just as much essentiality in the lives of your children. “Why?” you ask. “I don’t know
if they’re even converted!” That may be so, but it’s my contention that whether they are
saved or not is not the issue. The real issue is what will save them if they are not? And what
will nurture them if they are? You know the answer, of course. It’s basic to our faith and
implicit in all our training. God’s Word brings salvation and it is that very Word that brings
growth. It's necessary at seedtime and at harvest time. It's necessary for the adult and for
the child.
From their newborn days, you nurture your children with their needed food. And when you
do, you see your little bean sprouts becoming firm, sturdy plants. You and I know, however,
that the needed food for their souls is the law of the Lord, which is perfect and “sweeter also
than honey and the honeycomb.” (Psalm 19:10) So it is that God, in 1 Peter 2:2, tells His
people “as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby.”
Indeed, as we see over and again in Psalm 119 and elsewhere in Scripture, it is the means to
their cleansing and the path to their heart. It’s a requirement for all that we are trying to
accomplish with them.
“That may be so,” you say, “but isn’t it enough that they hear the Word in church and Bible
class and family devotions?” As I implied earlier, that’s good and right if you're doing these
things. Praise God. I pray that He’ll provide more and more parents like you. But listen to
my case just a little longer while I give you three specific reasons why I believe it's needful
that your children have time in the Word that is personal and that they have it daily:
First, a relationship with God is personal. It’s one on one. Sure, it’s important that a family
worship together, study God’s Word together, and pray together. But eventually, each
individual in the family has to meet God face to face. Someday, your children will have to
answer to their Creator on a personal basis. They will need to come to grips with who Jesus is
and what this means to each of them, specially. We all agree that your children need to be
taught and given loving guidance, but we also know that there will be a day of reckoning
which will take place solely between Susie or Joey and God. Personal devotions accentuate
this fact, and the more often they take place, the better.
Second, one of our important duties, especially if we’re homeschooling, is to help our
children learn to read. It’s one of the important areas of our parenting. Most of us have this
view, as we know how vital this skill is to their futures. Soon after the attainment of some
measure of ability, we encourage them in it. We give them good books, interesting books, to
spur them on. It delights us when we see one of our little ones curled up in a corner reading
something that has captured them. The point here is, as we encourage these private times
with books, certainly we don’t want to leave out the Bible! In fact, you probably already know
that many great people in history who taught themselves to read, accomplished this by using
the Word of God as their primary source. If you want to further advance their aptitude in
this crucial area of life, then a daily time set aside in the Word, with added prayer, would
surely be beneficial.
And third, having a set time of day for meeting with God in His Word helps build character.
It’s one more responsibility for them. It’s a “promise” they need to fulfill every day. They
will learn that they must be dependable and keep this “appointment” with the One who sees
and hears all that they do. No one else can keep it for them. It’s their duty and obligation to
the Lord. You might also say that it helps them to learn a habit which will hopefully be with
them all of their lives. Best of all, it’s a habit which we can hope will lead them to God.
One more thing: While I am encouraging personal, even private, devotions for your
youngsters, I am by no means negating the need for parental involvement. This is not only
needful, but crucial. At some point after they’ve finished the day’s devotions, talk to them
about it. Ask what they learned in their time with God. Find out if they have any questions
and provide any input that you think is necessary. They certainly will require your help. They
only need to spend ten to fifteen minutes for their quiet time. For younger children, the time
could be even less. It needn’t be but two or three verses at first. When my girls were young,
I “assigned” their verses by writing the dates and the assignments in a notebook for the one
and on index cards for the other, with a question or two for them to answer on each passage.
It takes a little time on your part, but it's worth it. Also, you might want to get your hands
on a good children’s devotional book to have around for times when doing it yourself would
be too cumbersome.
Perhaps your children already have daily quiet times with Jesus. I hope so. But if not,
consider prioritizing this addition to their lives for the reasons given. Maybe it’s then and
there that seeds will be planted in fertile soil. Maybe it’s then and there that cultivation will
take place. Maybe it’s then and there that a harvest will come. Even if not, it is well worth
the effort.
© Maxine A. Randall, 2007
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| A Case for Daily Devotions in Childhood |
© 2007-2011 Speakable Gifts |
