Then Manoah prayed to the Lord: “Pardon your servant, Lord. I beg you to let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born.”

9 God heard Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman while she was out in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her. 10 The woman hurried to tell her husband, “He’s here! The man who appeared to me the other day!”

11 Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he said, “Are you the man who talked to my wife?”

“I am,” he said.

12 So Manoah asked him, “When your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule that governs the boy’s life and work?”

13 The angel of the Lord answered, “Your wife must do all that I have told her. 14 She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, nor drink any wine or other fermented drink nor eat anything unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her.” (NIV)

The gift of children (or a child) is a blessing, a privilege and a sacred trust. In Manoah’s prayer I am reminded of these words from James 1:5:

”If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

James goes on to say that we should ask in faith, not wavering in unbelief.

We certainly do need God’s wisdom in order to train up our children in the way they ”should go” (Prov.22:6).

‘The directions were given to his wife, but he looks upon himself as concerned to assist her in the careful management of this promised seed, according to order; for the utmost care of both the parents, and their constant joint endeavour, are little enough to be engaged for the good ordering of children that are devoted to God and to be brought up for him. Let not one devolve it on the other, but both do their best.’ Matthew Henry

PRAYER: Lord, we pray that our children will become the people you want them to be; and we ask that we will be the parents you desire us to be.