I love to sing and I especially love to think about the words I am singing. Yesterday was no different as our church sang the song, A Christian Home. I have written about this song here. I had to touch today on a few of the lines that jumped out at me.
How sweet to know that tho’ his foot-steps waver,
His faithful Lord is walking by his side!
The book of Proverbs (22:6) gives us a rich promise to support these lines. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” If we are training our children to be godly and if they are saved then God will chasten and return Him to Himself if they stray. These lines struck a chord with me because we have a son in Air Force basic training right now. He is our second son to serve so I know the drill so to speak.
We haven’t heard from him in over 3 weeks because well, the Air Force limits that greatly. I’m okay with this. He is 20 and this is a new chapter in his life. Not knowing how he is doing means I don’t know if his footsteps are wavering spiritually. However, what I do know is that he has a faithful Lord. God is walking by his side because he is a Christian. Therefore, it makes no sense for me to worry about him, does it?
Whose tender patience turmoil never bothers
Whose calm and courage trouble cannot dim;
This verse and these lines were for me. In the home when days get crazy and we are exhausted do they will see a peace from God in us? When trials come and in our mind we think we cannot go on, do they see a courage that is God-given? “The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips: but the just shall come out of trouble.” Proverbs 12:13 reminds us that if we can keep our mouth shut during hard times we will not say things we regret. The only words our children should hear when our life is falling apart are cries to our God for help, reassurance and guidance.
Be thou the center of our least endeavour –
Be thou our guest, our hearts and homes to share.
Who is the center of your world? I used to joke when Melanie was a baby and say she was my world because care of her took up so much time. However, I hope my children saw and still see that my husband and I try to put God at the center of all we do. Our children know that first thing in the morning they will find us reading our Bibles privately. They know that after this we always gather as a family to read His Word together. The Bible is the center in our home as it should be.
When we are puzzling out a problem, we seek His Word.
If our children have a question about life we ask them “what does the Bible say?” When they hear a sermon and want to disagree our first response always is, “have you studied this out in His Word.” It is not wrong to question something we hear as being biblical. It is wrong to be haughty and think our own thoughts instead of fleeing to God’s Word to find the answers.
Always, we want God to be the center of all we do. How do we keep God at the center of all we do? We invite Him into our home through the study of His Word and faith in our hearts. “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)
Take time to concentrate on the words of the songs we sing and line them up with God’s Word. Our homes will then find peace in the midst of the storms of life.