Father Knows Best

For this child I prayed. . . . I also have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the LORD.

1 Samuel 1:27–28

Carman, the well-known Christian performer, credits his parents with dedicating him to Christ as a child. “My parents held me up in a Bible study and dedicated my life to the Lord so that, whatever happened, my life would be used for the service of God,” he wrote. “I guess that commitment really stuck because the presence of Jesus haunted me until I finally succumbed [to Christ] when I was twenty years old.”

When we dedicate our children to God, we’re saying, “Lord, this is the child You have loaned me, and I understand he belongs to You. I’ll do everything I can as a mother (or father) to see that he grows up to know, love, and serve You.” When you do that, you’re giving your child back to the Lord.

What if God wants him to be a missionary in a faraway land? What if He wants your child to do something difficult? God’s plan is always best—best for your child and best for you. You can trust your child to Him, for the Father knows best.