Who Raised Them? | The Children You Were Born To Raise. What Happened? | Day 4

Some children walk away from what they were taught, often because they followed the wrong voices. Others stand firm, even under pressure. Both are choices, not accidents. One king listened to his friends instead of his elders, and it cost him his entire kingdom.

God, thank You for the gift of this new day and for Your faithfulness that never fails. Thank You for the people You have placed in our lives to guide, correct, and encourage us. We pray for those we love who have wandered from Your path. Touch their hearts, draw them back to You, and help us to reflect Your love and wisdom. In Jesus' name, amen.

In 1 Kings 12, Solomon’s son Rehoboam becomes king and is immediately faced with a decision. The elders, men with experience, tell him to ease up on the people and lighten the load his father put on them. But according to 1 Kings 12:8, Rehoboam turns to "the young men that were grown up with him" instead, and follows their advice to rule even harder. The result? The kingdom splits in two, permanently. One decision, driven by wanting to sound strong in front of his peers, cost him almost everything.

That’s what peer pressure does. It’s hardly a single dramatic moment. It’s choosing the voice that makes you feel accepted over the voice that’s actually right.

Now flip to Jeremiah 35 and the Rechabites again. The Rechabites were a family descended from Jonadab (Jehonadab), son of Rechab, known for faithfully preserving the godly way of life their ancestor had established. Generations after Jonadab gave them a set of disciplined instructions, they were still following them, even while an entire nation around them was living differently.

They didn’t fold under the pressure to blend in. Scripture holds them up as an example specifically because they didn’t move with the crowd.

What are we saying to us as parents today? If your child, grown or still at home, is straying, it hardly started with a dramatic rebellion. It usually would have started with choosing a voice in the room over the voice they were raised with, exactly like Rehoboam. Peer pressure.

Now, thanks be to God, that doesn’t mean the story is over. Keep praying, keep the door open, and remember that even children who strayed can find their way back to what they were taught. We got this encouragement earlier this week, and here it is again as a reminder.

And if you’re the one who stood firm when others didn’t, like the Rechabites, know that God notices consistency nobody else applauds. He sees every quiet act of obedience, honours faithfulness that endures, and will reward those who remain steadfast even when no one else understands.

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