Have you ever struggled to trust God with your kids because God allowed His own Son to be murdered on a cross? If God allowed His own son, whom He loved, to die a horrific death, what on earth will God allow for our kids, who definitely sin daily (Matthew 3:17)? Yes, yes. Good came from Jesus dying on a cross, and like, I get to go to Heaven as a result. I am grateful, but as a parent, I do not want that to happen to my child, if I can help it. I do not like the idea that God will allow my children to struggle in order to bring glory to Himself. I do not like that God can save many souls as a result of the struggles my children face. But…as the saying goes, “the struggle is real!”
That’s just how God’s economy works! John Piper says in Desiring God, that “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” And how much more so when we are being persecuted?! In America, we do not fear for our lives as a result of following Christ, but we sometimes fear for our business, or our homes, or our jobs, or our relationships. We also face people who simply do not like us because we are Christian and will try to be against us in every way. It can feel like the devil appoints people to go against us in what the Lord desires us to do.
Paul, a preacher of God’s Word, spoke boldly of the resurrection of Christ and often was beaten and imprisoned as a result. People did try to kill him and he often escaped by narrow margins with just his life. Yet he continued to praise God and kept pursuing God’s call on his life to preach the gospel. He did not give up when he faced push back. He persevered despite the opposition. He praised God amidst the persecution.
At one point, in Acts 16, some men got upset about Paul and Silas speaking about Jesus. So they organized a mob, by twisting the truth to get people to join them, and they eventually succeeded in getting Paul and Silas beaten and imprisoned. That night, Paul and Silas were bound, feet and hands, and yet they sung praises to God!
“…he put [Paul and Silas] in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them” (Acts 16:24-25).
For a cool rendition of “Oh when the Saints” that references this Bible passage, click here.
Guess what happened as a result of their praise? Long story short, the jailer came to know Jesus! And his whole household! Lives were changed, for eternity!
Here, we find the answer to our question: “How do we trust God with our kids?” We trust God by keeping an eternal perspective. We can trust God to use whatever He allows in our children’s lives for many reasons. First, He created them and loves them more than us. (I know that’s hard to believe.) And whatever He allows in their lives, He will use to save souls. His plans really are higher. As we keep an eternal perspective, we will be able to trust God with our kids on a regular basis.
