Parents and Children

What it means

God's words are to be on the parents' hearts first, then taught diligently to the children and spoken of at home, on the road, at bedtime and at rising. Notice the order: the parent's heart, then the child's ears.

Why every Christian should know it

It sets teaching inside ordinary life rather than in a lesson slot. Most of what children learn about God they pick up in passing.

Cross references

• Deuteronomy 6:4-5
• Psalms 78:4
• Proverbs 22:6

Pray it back

Lord, put your word in my heart first, then on my lips through an ordinary day.

What it means

Children are to obey their parents in the Lord, honouring father and mother, the first commandment with a promise attached. Fathers are told not to provoke their children to anger but to nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Why every Christian should know it

It gives both sides of the house something to obey. Provoking is named as a real danger, so discipline that only produces resentment has missed the command.

Cross references

• Exodus 20:12
• Colossians 3:20-21
• Proverbs 3:11-12

Pray it back

Father, let my home be firm without being harsh, and warm without being weak.

What it means

Children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb his reward. The psalm sits beside verses about labour that is useless without God, which frames children as gift rather than achievement.

Why every Christian should know it

It guards two hearts at once: the tired parent who has forgotten the gift, and the parent who takes credit for it.

Cross references

• Psalms 127:1-2
• Genesis 33:5
• Psalms 128:3

Pray it back

Lord, the children in my life are yours before they are mine. Help me hold them as a trust.