Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
This oft-used promise is hard to believe according to our witnessed experience in real life, because we see adults departing from the way they were trained as children. We think. But we don’t know all the facts, and we don’t know time frame of “when he is old.” However, if we believe God’s Word and promises, then it must be true and we can rely on it. We trust God instead of what we see. “We walk by faith, not by sight.”
If the Word is true and will not lead us astray, then there are two things a parent will do: 1) train up the children in the Law and Gospel of the Word, and 2) trust the promise that they will not leave that way, or at least that they will come back to it. Believing and claiming that promise the parent will pray in faith for their children and their families as long as they are alive.
The promise encourages us to be intentional about “training up.” And we are encouraged not to give up praying and believing for our adult children, even if it seems to us like they have strayed for a time.
“Train up” is better than just “teach,” for it involves learning by experience and leading by example. It involves behavior as well as knowing facts. “Hear and do” is what Jesus says. It’s hard, and for this reason parents pray for the wisdom and ability to train up.