The Value of the Father as a Spiritual Guide (Part Ii: Discipline)

When David wrote Psalm 23, he did not imagine that this song of praise would transcend time and become the most beloved by Christians throughout the ages. Amid expressions of tenderness and praise to the Lord, David made clear how highly he regarded God’s discipline.

“Your rod and your staff will comfort me” (Psalm 23:4). The rod was the shepherd’s instrument for administering discipline when the little sheep strayed from the fold. With the same rod the shepherd used to protect his flock from dangers along the way and from predatory animals, he also corrected the course of those that went astray.

Accepting the Lord’s discipline and rebuke is not always comforting. Yet the fact that He takes an interest in disciplining us is a sign of His eternal love, for the good of those of us who say we love Him. The Lord says: “I rebuke and discipline all those I love. So be zealous and repent. (Rev 3:19). Holy words indeed! Our children are sometimes unaware of how the Lord has revealed His greatness, His mighty hand, and His outstretched arm in the family we have formed—all symbols of the many ways He disciplines both us as parents and the household He has given us to govern in His name.

Personally, we as parents may still have a long way to go in learning to discipline our children in ways suited to their childhood, adolescence, or adulthood. It does not matter what stage they are at or how old they are. Whether children, young people, or adults in society’s eyes, we generally continue to see them, deep down, as defenseless youngsters who from time to time need their father’s rod to correct their missteps. We should ask God for just one thing: that our rod comfort them, so they do not lose heart and understand that discipline is also a beautiful way in which God’s love makes itself known.

To guide our children in the fear of God, they need to understand that our discipline, though it comes from an imperfect father, is beautifully necessary. We cannot leave everything to God; we have a role to play. Our children will respect and heed discipline administered with a rod that comforts them, not one that destroys them and drives them beside themselves by exasperating them, discouraging them, and subjecting them to threats and intimidation. The issue is not being hard on our children merely to assert our authority as parents. Pay attention, dear parents and brothers and sisters, because the Lord gives us an incredible instruction in His Word to put into practice: “Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but whoever loves him disciplines him diligently.” (Prov 13:24). It sounds harsh to us, but it is the Word of the Lord, and we have no excuses.

Guiding our children in the fear of God with the discipline He requires of us as parents is not easy, especially when, as in my case, we spent half our lives—a little more or a little less—adrift, without knowing the Father above all fathers. We have no choice. God has given us a colossal task, and we need His help. We cannot hand it off, and we cannot carry it out alone. Let us pray to Him that His rod will comfort us and that the rod we apply to our children will make us better parents and them better children, and make parents and children alike better men and women who love the Lord with zeal for God.

Another beautiful proverb we should give our children: “The commandment is a lamp, teaching is a light, and discipline is the way to life” (Prov 6:23 NIV).

God bless you

To be continued: Part III, the final part (Love)