Day 7 – God’s curses: Dishonoring parents

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honor thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.” Ephesians 6:1-3  (KJV)

Since you were young this verse was probably spoken over you every time you were a little rebellious or disobedient to your parents. At first glance, it seems quite straightforward to honor your parents. They are the ones who love you, take care of you, feed you, and make sure you are growing up to be a wonderful human being. Yes, in a perfect world. Unfortunately, our world is the furthest from perfect, and not all parents fulfill this ideal role. We read daily articles and news reports about children that are abused, neglected, and mistreated by their parents. How can God expect these children to honor their parents? Is it not unfair? Yes. But what happened to Jesus was also unfair. He did not sin once in his whole life on earth, yet he was crucified and killed for our sins.

This commandment also has a blessing as a condition in verse 3, we see that the Lord says if you honor your parents, you will live long and it will be well with you. Unfortunately, this blessing is not subject to your parents’ behavior towards you, but your behavior towards them. The curse that comes from dishonoring your parents can be anything from being unwell to early death. For your own sake, honor your parents, for God will deal with them if they mistreat you, as he commands in verse 4: “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

Prayer: Lord, thank you for my parents. You know what our relationship is. Please help me to honor them, no matter how they treat me. Please help me forgive them, even if I don’t feel they deserve my forgiveness. I want to honor them so that I can please You. Amen

I would like to credit Derek Prince for the information in his book “Blessing and Curses

We would love to pray with you at prayer@womenoftheword.co.za