Our High Priest and a Story of Miraculous Provision

We have daily issues over here with our kids.  The little tots are always getting into minor scraps with one another.  As each little thing comes up we try to deal with it the best way we know how.  Once in awhile, though, we're stumped.  Not only do we not know what to do, but we, as parents, aren't always in agreement as to how to handle it.  I won't name children, nor the offence, but it was definitely an obedience issue and we thought we'd been clear, but the same thing kept coming up over and over.   RM was starting to feel his frustration levels rising and I was trying to back up the child explaining, "Perhaps they just didn't know this was wrong?" I was trying to keep things calm and peaceful in the home.  Hmmm.....this was all right before church.  Never a good time to feel frustrated, but a classic attack from the enemy.  I was so grateful for church that morning, however, because without knowing it, the pastor gave us a word, directly from Scripture on how to handle our situation.

We were reading from Hebrews 5.  The writer was speaking about how every high priest in the old testament was "chosen", "appointed" and "called by God".  He was to "act on behalf of men", "to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins".  He was also to "deal gently with the ignorant and wayward since he himself is beset with weakness". 

Last week I wrote about how RM is the king in our home, but he is also the high priest.  It is his job to make sure the spiritual climate in our home is good.  When he identifies sinful behaviour in our children, it is his job to take care of it, by pointing it out, talking with the child, praying with him/her and then keeping them accountable.  This passage we had just read was that great reminder of this role.  As the high priest in our home, he is "chosen", "appointed", "called by God" for this role as Dad.  Instead of killing a goat or some other animal, now he can simply go to the Lord on behalf of our children and say, "What do I do?"  He can bring our child before the throne of grace and ask humbly for help when he doesn't know what to do.  By doing this he is "acting on behalf of men (or children) in relation to God".  That is the way he can "offers gifts and sacrifices for sins".  He simply prays.

The passage even dealt with how to do this when he feels the frustration levels rising.  It reminded him "He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward."    Isn't that the perfect description of a child, "ignorant and wayward"?  The reason he must act gently is because he himself has to admit his humanity, "he himself is beset with weakness".  So there is no lording authority over anyone around here without first admitting weakness ourselves.   Again, no lamb needs to be sacrificed like it would have been in the Old Testament, but he (and I) must go before the Lord and "sacrifice for our own sins just as he does for those of the people".  We have to first ask for forgiveness for our own sins before we start pointing out the speck in our children's eyes.

As the passage went on, it described Jesus, the perfect high priest.  He "offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence." (5:7)  The pastor wondered out loud what Jesus would have been praying about.  Jesus knew He came to die and though He didn't want to suffer the agony of death, what was it that made Him cry with "loud cries and tears"?  He suggested that perhaps what was causing Him the most agony was the thought of disobeying.  Nothing could have made Him more upset than to disobey the Father's will for His life.  It went on to say, "he learned obedience through what he suffered".  It struck me there in the middle of the service that we must teach our children this type of thinking.  They must be more like Jesus in their thoughts towards obedience.  Well, we all must be, really.  It must make us want to cry out with "loud cries and tears", "Lord, please keep me from ever disobeying you!"  However, the truth is, with little kids, it's more often, "Help me not to get caught!" or with older kids, "Help me to get away with as much as I can!"  We don't have that same attitude that Jesus did. 

That same phrase, "learned obedience" also made me realize not only do we need to teach our children to learn obedience, but to "learn disobedience".  What?  Learn disobedience?  Yes.  With our children, it isn't that they are disobeying intentionally, they just don't seem to understand what we consider disobedience.  I'll often say to one of my kids, "Please don't speak to me like that.  That is disrespect."  "What did I say?"  he'll reply.  He honestly doesn't seem to know.  I've had to teach him what I consider to be disrespectful. 

After the service, RM and I had a great conversation about the Hebrews passage and how it had been so enlightening.  It was a great reminder that we expect a lot from our children, but really, we are "beset with weakness" ourselves.  We are easily frustrated by them, but we are to "deal gently" with our "wayward and ignorant" children.  That night, we had our own evening service.  We went through the passage again as a family, discussing how it applied to our home, our parenting.  We pressed the restart button AGAIN.  It had been one of those days that started out with an "I quit" feeling.  Parenting is too hard.  When will they move out?  But, thanks be to God and to His Word that is "living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword" we were brought back to parenting life with renewed hope that we could do it.  We could raise these 8 kids with His help.  What do people do who don't have God's Word?

One last story, or should I say MIRACLE.  I'm once again in awe of God's provision for us.  A week ago, the Sunday before, our church had made a call out to the congregation about a benevolent need.  Supposedly a family in the church was in dire need so they were asking for everyone to give generously.  I had asked for prayer with our ladies' group for work for RM several weeks earlier, but I hadn't said we were in "dire need".  I was sure hoping they weren't collecting for us!  We were fairly certain it wasn't us because they had mentioned that this family needed a car.  Whew!  You know times are tough when you wonder if you are the family they are collecting for!  We really didn't have any extra cash to give, but we gave what we could and that was that.

A few days later, someone showed up at our door.  It was an older woman I've come to know since we  moved here.  She is one of those women who just exudes kindness, love, wisdom.  A true Titus 2 woman.  I've shared with her in the past our journey, some of our ups and downs.  She's only been compassionate and full of encouragement to stay strong, to trust God, just what you would expect to hear from a woman of God.  She had never been to our house before so I wondered what she was up to.  She came in with flowers, a book and an envelope.  She explained there was a woman she knew whom I have never met, that has been convicted to tithe.  She will give money to this friend of mine and say, "You know more people than I do, give this to whomever you think needs it."  She felt compelled to give it to us.  I couldn't believe it.  The irony of receiving that money on the week our church had been collecting for another family in need hit me.  We had wondered if they had been collecting for us!  They weren't.  We were so relieved as it we didn't want to be that needy family!  How humiliating!  How embarrassing!  Yet God was collecting for us without us even knowing it.  The truth is, the timing was perfect.  I didn't know what to say.  Some stranger blessed us.  It was another tangible hug from God.  I know He knows our situation.  That is clear!  It is humbling.  I don't even really like to write about it.  I didn't want to receive the gift!  I didn't want to need the gift!  But to reject it would have not been right either.  This stranger was being obedient.  What an incredible gesture.

Every day I'm in awe of how God works.  This week, I received tremendous hope from God's Word and encouragement from a stranger, both are blessings from God, one is intangible, the other very tangible.  Both were key to me not just getting through another week, scraping by, but being lifted up on eagle's wings, soaring, flying through the week!  These trials are no longer being seen by me as something to avoid, but as God's way of speaking to me.  He so clearly uses them to create a dependency that just wouldn't be there otherwise.  The devotional I read this week described our trials as "necessary" to the Christian life.  I see that and that keeps me from fighting them like I used to.