We often don’t realize what we have until we’ve lost it – and that’s especially true for family. Maybe some of your loved ones have passed away. Maybe some have walked away from you in this life. In both cases, the pain of loss is felt deeply because the bond of a family is meant to be a life-long bond.  

Family is a God-given, necessary element of our lives. A godly home provides us with a great many good things that only a good family can give. However, very few homes in our world today actually reflect God’s design for the family. God intends the home to be a place of great blessing and benefit, but many modern American homes are woefully disconnected. Therefore, because God blesses through family, you must love and cherish your family. 

According to the book of Proverbs, a godly family provides at least three blessings: 

Blessing #1: Safety & Security 

Proverbs 27:8, “As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place.” 

Though the family is also the center of physical provision (c.f., Prov. 13:22, 31:14-15), we most often lose sight of the emotional and mental stability that a good home brings.  

For a bird to wander from her nest is for her to wander from safety. She will become alone, exposed, and endangered without her “family” and without the protection of the nest.  

The home is where you become centered on what is most important in life. It is where you are able to reset your focus on your God-given mission and prepare to face life in the “real world,” outside of the home.  

Solomon does not call us to be homebodies, never leaving our place of residence. Rather, the call is to rely on your family. Be honest with them; be comforted by them; be taught by them; be loved by them. These gifts that we obtain through family are truly priceless, as they provide us with a sense of a secure foundation in life.  

Blessing #2: Spiritual Growth 

Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” 

The family is meant to be the primary avenue through which the truth of God’s Word is taught and learned. Certainly, it is not the only avenue! The teaching and preaching received at church are also vital to the life of a believer and is to be a primary focus of every Christian. But you are with your family every day. Therefore, you have an opportunity to teach God’s Word and will every day.  

Both by the parents teaching and setting a godly example and by the children actively listening to their teaching (Prov. 23:22-23), the family blesses each member by encouraging spiritual growth. God intends for the family to set a person’s trajectory in life, and that trajectory is to be one of godliness. 

Blessing #3: Comfort 

Proverbs 17:17, “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” 

Familial comfort is one of the most priceless commodities, for few (if any) can comfort you more effectively than a family member. When you are in great need or in the depths of despair; when you are hurt, lost, and alone; God gives us community (both friends and family) to remind us of hope.  

A true brother is there for you not just in the fun and laughs, but through the tears and the pain as well. Your family is meant to comfort you and remind you of the hope that can be found in the arms of Jesus Christ.  

To find these blessings, you must begin again with the fear of the Lord. You must acknowledge what God says, receive it as true, and submit to His desires. This fear begins with turning to Christ for salvation. Through His Word, we learn that we are sinners. Yet Christ came to die as our substitute under the wrath of God that all who call on His name might be saved. And as those who have believed on Christ’s name, we now must seek to cherish the family that He gives us.  

You must do your part to make your family what it needs to be. The application is the same as the blessings: each member has the responsibility to ensure the safety, growth, and comfort of the other members of the family. And as we each fulfill our own responsibilities to God-given family, we will be blessed by one another to the glory of God.  

Questions for Discussion:  

1. Read Proverbs 13:22 and 31:14-15. How does God use the family to provide for physical needs? 

2. Read Proverbs 14:26. Why do “his children” have a place of refuge? What does this teach us about families today? 

3. What are some excuses that you have made (or heard someone else make) to neglect teaching God’s Word to your children? In light of the above Scripture, are these excuses valid? 

4. Read Proverbs 15:17. What makes a meager salad better than a good steak? How does this provide the family with comfort?