Parents sometimes wonder what is one of the most important things I can do in the areas of family life, child training, and home issues? They wonder, “What am I missing, what else can I do?” Dear parent, have you considered faith; faith so deep, so real it moves you, the parent, and the family to follow God? The Bible says without faith it is impossible to please God.
I would call this area the duty of parental faith. It is a misunderstood part of Christian parenting or home life. We begin to trust in the flesh, or in tapes we have heard, or in books we have read, instead of trusting in God and His promises and provisions.
One common misunderstanding that happens with faith is as follows: A couple will claim a faith in God and in Bible promises concerning the home. In fact what they really have is a whim or hope that something good might happen to their child and in their home. Thus they become lax or lazy, waiting for the rewards of their so-called “faith.” No! The kind of faith I am talking about has shoe leather to it!
Faith is not often spoken of in regard to the home and parenting, but I believe if it is not laid properly you will be frustrated later on. If this foundation is missing it will cause things to go off later. Therefore, I feel very strongly faith is a missing gem, in the home.
Noah is a wonderful example of a man of faith. His faith made a direct and dramatic difference in the lives of his family. We are introduced to Noah in Genesis chapter 6:8. There we are told that he, of all men on the earth, found grace in the eyes of God. What a wonderful word grace is, and here is the first time in scripture it appears. And it is directed to Noah! Then in verses 9 and 10 we are told he is just and he walked with God. Then God tells Noah of the coming flood. What an awesome moment in the history of world. What will be his response? To get the answer let us go to the New Testament to get a commentary on what took place there between God and Noah and his family.
In Hebrews 11:7 the Bible says “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” Please take note of the simple phrase “by faith.” This phrase shows that faith is the agent or power, which caused him to obey. If we say a building is destroyed “by fire” we mean the building was destroyed through or with the power of the fire. So it is when the Bible says “by faith”: through or with the power of faith. Look at the verse again. What did that faith do? What was its effect? Noah built an ark to the SAVING OF HIS HOUSE.
Noah would have agreed with James in the New Testament when he said that faith without works is dead. For approximately 120 years, as best we can figure, Noah labored on that ark. He labored day after day, week after week, year after year, and decade after decade for more than a century. Noah obeyed in faith though it had never rained on the earth. Faith will do that; it will produce in you obedience and get you to do things you have never done before. It did just that very thing for Noah. Has it done that for you? And that kind of faith will make you very, very different from the rest of the world. Look at Noah. He was the only one building an ark in the entire world. Though he preached the coming flood for decades, he alone was preparing an ark for the saving of his house. But, he did not get on that ark alone. Who went in that ark with him? Remember, when they entered the ark it had not yet rained or flooded. Yes, his family walked up that ramp into a boat that was sitting on dry land hundreds of miles from any sea or ocean! His faith was somehow passed from the father to the sons. The torch of faith was burning in his breast and in his children. His family could see that and it affected them. It helped to save them. No, this is not another gospel; but God does use faith- filled godly parents to draw their dear family along.
Parents, do not be afraid if having great faith in God makes you different from your neighbors or others in your family. Faith and the resulting obedience to God will make you and your family very different from everyone else. If you think you are misunderstood for wearing a headcovering or dressing modestly or giving up television or sports, how could you get any more different than Noah and his family building a boat on dry land when it had never rained? How the others mocked them! But faith in God will give you strength to be different. To be separated. And more importantly – to be separated UNTO Jesus!
Would your children follow you up a ramp in the desert onto a boat when all others are mocking? A milktoast faith will not do. Great faith means great obedience. We only obey in areas where we have faith. If you have little faith you will only obey a little, or none at all. Could Noah have built half an ark? Would it have floated? What if he just stopped short of completion and did not tar and pitch it? It still would not have floated and he would have lost his family. Will your boat float? Your children may not be theologians but they know exactly what you truly believe in, what you have great faith in. And they will follow you as they see your heart and your faith in God. By faith, Noah, a father with faith in his God, prepared an ark to the saving of his house. What is God saying to you and me? WILL OUR CHILDREN SEE OUR FAITH? May we, by faith, believe God and His promises and provisions for our families, and see the saving of many future generations!
