Being a parent of six children and a grandparent, I know the challenges of raising children in today’s world. So many ways exist for young people to end up wrong. As parents, we can’t be with our children all the time to try and keep them straight. With all the digital technology and social media sites out there, we cannot possibly monitor everything our children are doing.
So, the psalmist asks a question that’s relevant to us today: “How can a young man keep his way pure?” (Psalm 119:9a, NASB). Note that the psalmist is talking specifically about youths keeping their way pure. The very fact that he poses the question underscores this as a challenging area. And the psalmist raised this question thousands of years ago. I believe the area he focuses on is worthy of even more attention today.
Our teens and young adults feel heavy peer pressure to fit in. This is true even for youths being raised in a Christian home. They don’t want to be viewed as odd or square. They don’t want their classmates and friends laughing at them. Oftentimes, our children are willing to compromise on what they know to be right just to fit in. Sad but true, they may be more interested in pleasing their friends than they are in pleasing their parents—or God.
So, what’s the answer to the psalmist’s question? “By keeping it according to Your word,” he says (verse 9b). That is, in order for a young man [or a young woman] to keep his way pure, he must keep his way in accordance with the Word of God. It is the only reliable guide to the truth and to true life. No comparable alternative exists.
One in Three Teens Have No Religious Affiliation
The psalmist writes under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Hence, we know that what he writes as the answer to the question, how can a young man keep his way pure, is correct. On the other hand, his answer also underscores why we have a growing problem with our teens and young adults getting off course.
Not only youths but people in general are attending church less these days. Approximately one in three teens say they are not affiliated with any religious body. That means the lives of many teens and young adults are not being influenced by the Word of God.
But the psalmist makes it abundantly clear that the ministry of the Word of God must be front and center in the lives of teens, if they are to keep their way pure. Entertainment and social gatherings at church may get some youths to attend. But it’s the Word of God they need to become anchored amidst the tide of immorality they confront daily.
Of course, the church is no substitute for the home and effective parenting. The Word of God must have a relevant place in our home, if teens and young adults are to keep their way pure.
Copyright © 2023 by Frank King. All rights reserved.