“When your kids zig, you have to zag.” My father, Jerald Brooks, who raised four sons had lots of theories about child-rearing. When our kids were teenagers, he called me and gave me this advice. My kids zigged as much as other kids. I learned to zag.
Absalom, heir to the throne, decided to take matters into his own hands. By comparing himself to his dad and winning the hearts of Israel, he set himself up to usurp his father’s throne. Pretending to pray, he led a coup d’état. David and his family fled for their lives. Absalom entered the palace and acted shamefully with his father’s concubines. What was David’s best move at this point? How could he survive the attack of his powerful son?
Even though David sent the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem, the rightful King and his friends were still talking to and about God. He made his way to a place where people used to worship. By contrast, the usurper Absalom never mentioned God. As Absalom rebelled, David prayed and pleaded for his son’s life.
No matter what our kids do, or how far they run, they are never beyond the reach of God. We can not control the behavior of our adult children. But we can pray. So we must pray fervently for them. What shall we pray? I have prayed for our kids for years that Christ would not only be a part of their lives but that he would be their treasure. At times, I have prayed on my face in a pool of tears. Because we are sinners, all of us are tempted to rebel against God. David was determined that he himself would stay right with God, even if his son did not.
God knows how to zag. Good thing: because we often zig. More important than our children’s behavior is our own relationship with God. If we stay close to the Lord, and pray for our children, then our kids still have a prayer. When you and I rebel against God, Jesus is still interceding for us and the Holy Spirit still prays for us with wordless groans. As long as God is on his eternal throne, we have a prayer, and so do our descendants.
