“Let your father and mother be glad, let her who bore you rejoice.”
– Proverbs 23:25
Proverbs 23:25 is such a great verse, isn’t it? I think about my mom and my dad, I want to live in a way that causes them to rejoice. I’m certainly not over my desire for God to rejoice over the way I live, such that if my mom or dad were to tell me to do something that is not pleasing to God, that I would choose to live for that which pleases God far over my mom and dad.
Pause and think right now: how can you honor your mom and dad? Lord, help us to know how to do this at every age and stage of our lives.
Honor Your Father and Mother
At the same time, it honors God when I live to honor my mom and dad. This is something we see all throughout scripture, I mean, it’s part of the Ten Commandments, “Honor your father and your mother.”
“Let your father and mother be glad,” though, Proverbs 23:25 says, “let her who bore you rejoice.” I think it makes sense, in light of the commandment to honor them, to live in such a way that they rejoice over you. Because of your honor for them, love for them, and because what you do with what they entrust to you.
I just want you to think about your mom or dad for a minute, and obviously there are so many different circumstances in so many different people’s lives. So many people don’t know maybe their dad or their mom. And some have really strained relationships with parents. But just think right now, how can you best honor your mom, your dad? Obviously, under the umbrella of honoring God ultimately, but what would it look like for you to make your mom or your dad, to the extent with which you can, be glad and rejoice over you?
Honoring Our Parents In A Proverbs 23:25 Kind Of Way
God, help us to know how to do this at every age and stage of our lives. So, for any child who is listening to this, for a six year old who is listening to this, help them to know how to honor their mom and dad and live in such a way that their parents rejoice over them.
I pray for that for a teenager, help teenagers to know how to do this. I pray for this for college students, young adults. I pray that as we grow older, our relationship with our parents changes in many ways, God we pray that you would still help us to honor them. Make them glad.
Even in their old age, God, please help us to honor our parents and make them glad, that they might rejoice. God, we pray for their joy. So, help us to know what this looks like.
God, I just pause at this point and praise you for my dad, who is now with you. I miss him so much. And I still, even though he’s not here, I still want to live in a way that honors him, under the umbrella of honoring you. I praise you for my mom. I want to live in a way that makes her rejoice.
So, help me to do this, and help us. Help us in all the different circumstances that are represented in our lives. Help us to let our father and mother be glad, to the extent with which we can. To let her who bore us rejoice.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.