Risen & Rooted

Jeremiah 16:1-9

This set of scriptures in Jeremiah, is a beautiful picture of a healthy, thriving parent/child relationship. God & Jeremiah shared a sweet connection in fellowship. There is balance in authority, knowledge, wisdom, fellowship & instruction, comfort & assurance.

God gives Jeremiah very specific instructions to obey. Jeremiah, as is made known in the other chapters of this book, could rest in the commands of God, because he knew what was expected of him. God didn’t say one thing, then do another, or leave Jeremiah guessing as to what his role was, what he was supposed to do or what it was he was allowed, or not allowed, to do.

Another amazing aspect of these scriptures is that God also made it a point to explain to Jeremiah, the WHYS of the commandments. First, He gave the command, then took the painstaking time to explain why He commanded it. This example the Lord clearly lays out, greatly contrasts the belief & teaching of adults who say children need only obey, without knowing, or having room to ask why.

One of the most awesome things here, is that Jeremiah didn’t even get the chance to ask why, but we see God WANTED & DESIRED FOR HIM TO KNOW WHY! If God can take the time to explain to His children why a command is given, why can’t Christian parents, to their own blessed child? There are many more examples of this throughout God’s word!

In some rare cases, there may not be time, before hand, to explain why a command needs to be obeyed. A child’s action in a time like this, boils down to training/discipline. Making the time to sit down when things have settled, is a great opportunity to pour God’s wisdom into our children.

You see, in the kingdom of God, wisdom, knowledge, obedience & instruction are never separated. God never even called us to blind faith, which is essentially acting on/obeying the truth & commands of God’s Word. Even the gift of salvation comes with a clear explanation of what was done for us before we ever believed (Romans 5:8, John 3:16)! When we are armed with the truth, knowledge & wisdom of God, we can obey in the BLESSED ASSURANCE & CONFIDENCE of the Lord.

Encourage your child’s curiosity in the commands of you as a parent & in the commands of God. Build their confidence, trust & assurance in God through their relationship with you, as you point their little hearts in His direction. Take time to explain your ways & instructions to your children. Let them ask LOTS of questions. Let them ask why.

The whys will make them wise.