Draw Near – 365 Guides to Greater Intimacy with GodSample

GIFT OF GUIDANCE Aristotle, the famous Greek philosopher, once noted, "They who educate children well are more honored than they who produce them: for these only gave them life, those, the art of living." These wise words express a truth that was understood by Manoah and his wife. They had long desired a son, and now God answered their prayers. Yet they knew that merely giving life to an offspring was not enough. They had to have wisdom in raising their child for God. It is most significant that one of the fifty major prayers of the Bible deals with the problem of raising children (Judges 13). Good parents are concerned about how to properly communicate their faith to their children so the offspring might naturally come to a personal knowledge of God. And God always answers a prayer like Manoah's. James tells us: If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him (James 1:5). Perhaps in no other area than raising children is wisdom so desperately needed. Yet, the promise is ours. If we but ask, God will give us the necessary wisdom to raise our families in the fear and admonition of God. Manoah's prayer, though centuries old, is ever new.