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Welcome to our look at Proverbs chapter 22 in Daily Drive Time Devotions. The
verse that I'd like to focus on in Proverbs 22 is a familiar verse to many
people. Proverbs chapter 22 verse 6 says this, "Train a child in the way that he
should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it.

" This great proverb, familiar to a lot of people, I would honestly say has been
the source of more heartache than you can possibly imagine. So I hope you'll
forgive me for taking just a little bit longer to talk about this proverb today
than we've been taking as we've been walking through Proverbs. And I hope that
if you're not a parent, you will forgive me for talking about being a parent
today because these are truths that you can share with those that you know and
love that are parents.

What am I talking about when I say there is heartache that comes from this
verse? Well, here's a pattern that I've seen often that leads to that heartache.
Even when your kids are small, you start to worry that they're going to make the
right choices in life.

And as a Christian parent, you'd like to have a guarantee that your kids are
going to follow God, maybe even more fully, certainly more fully than you have.
And with that desire settled in your heart, you come across this verse and you
think, "That's it. If God has promised here that I will always have great
children, I'll train them up in the way that they should go.

When they're old, they will not depart from it. " But then it happens. Your
child, your son, your daughter has a rough time in junior high or in college.

They fall in with the wrong friends. And the heart for God that you'd hope was
going to be in their lives, it's nowhere to be seen. And then comes the thought
in this pattern that brings all the heartache.

If God promised that if only I'd raise my kids right and they wouldn't turn
away, then what's wrong? And you begin to think God's promise can't fail. So
there must be something wrong with the way that I raised my children.

You put yourself in a trap where either God's promise has failed or you have
failed. We may never voice that thought to anyone, but not far below the
surface, it is right there. Let me say three things if you have me to be
struggling with this.

As I said, those who are not parents will certainly have an opportunity to share
these encouragements with someone someday. Three things. Number one, in this
world, there is no such thing as a perfect parent.

I know you know that. It's just good to be reminded of that. This proverb is not
about guaranteeing that your kids will turn out perfectly if you're perfect.

Nor is it about blaming yourself for the fact that you are less than perfect. We
live in an imperfect world. Number two, in heaven, there is a perfect parent.

God's actions of love towards us are always perfect. He is never selfish. He is
filled with constant love.

And yet, in spite of the fact that God is a perfect parent, look at how many of
his children have turned away from that love. It started at the beginning in the
Garden of Eden. If God's perfect love towards us cannot guarantee that none of
his children will ever fall away, how can we put that burden on our parenting?

How can we say that this verse is promising, something that God can't even do in
his perfection? Your teaching cannot violate the free will of your children to
do the wrong thing, no matter how good it is. Any more than God's direction can
keep Adam and Eve from eating the fruit on that tree.

And so number three, what then does this proverb mean? Is there a promise here?
Well, as with most of the book of Proverbs, it expresses a universal principle,
not an individual promise.

Nine times out of ten, more like nine times out of a hundred, if you teach the
right thing, as you teach the right thing, your kids are going to end up doing
the right thing. That is God's moral law. But don't miss, don't miss when he is
old, he will not depart from it.

That doesn't mean 16 or 26. That means old. The truth is, these good lessons
that you taught were heard.

They did sink in. So stop telling yourself that the time that you gave teaching
your child was just wasted because they're struggling right now. Those teachings
sink in so deeply, these verses tell us that even when they're old, they still
remember what you taught.

It's still there right at the top of their minds. We always have a choice. And
when they're old, they're going to have a choice about whether to follow God or
not.

But as we get older, we tend to get wiser. And we've been taught the right thing
early on as we get older, that wisdom that we were taught early on eventually
comes around. Those teachings sink in so deeply that even when they are old, and
maybe even after you are gone, they will emerge again to give your now grown son
or daughter the direction that they need.

Now that is a promise that you can't hold on to. So stop, stop the guilt. Stop
blaming yourself for what you shouldn't blame yourself for as a parent.

Start the honesty. Go ahead and be honest about things that you could have
changed. Be honest about the fact that you're not a perfect parent, but also
direct it all to Jesus Christ and recognize that He is perfect.

And when I teach someone to look to Him, they're never going to forget that
teaching. And pray even now that that teaching that is unforgettable will cause
them, instead of departing, will cause them to be drawn towards the love of
Jesus Christ in new and fresh ways. In fact, let's pray for that to happen right
now.

Lord, we take a moment to pray together for our kids. Those of us that aren't
parents, pray for the kids of people that we do know. Kids struggle sometimes.

Your kids struggle. Your children struggle. And God, you patiently lead us and
guide us back to you.

And I pray for those listening to this prayer right now who have children who
are struggling. God, first of all, we recognize that this promise is true. The
things that they've heard about Jesus, the truths they've heard from your word,
those truths are still in their heart.

We're still speaking to them. And I pray that you would give wisdom right now to
follow that truth, to let go of the lie. Lord, we pray together right now for
parents who are struggling with kids who are struggling.

That you would give grace and strength and comfort and give continued hope and
strength. Lord, in my own life, I have seen so many times the truth of this
verse lived out. Kids who seemingly gone far away from God and after 10, 15,
sometimes 20, 30 years, the teachings have come back to invite them back into a
relationship with you.

Lord, I wish it wasn't so often after parents have died and gone to heaven, but
it often is that way. But the fact is, the truth is your truth remains on and we
put our trust in your truth right now. We put our trust in your spirit right
now.

We put our trust in you right now, thanking you for your grace and your love. In
Jesus name, amen. Amen.