“You, Lord, will guard us; you will protect us from this generation forever. The wicked prowl all around, and what is worthless is exalted by the human race.” – Psalm 12:7-8

This morning my oldest daughter left for the first day of her last year of high school. Because of that, we’ve been putting some time and effort into finding a college for her to attend next year. We’ve looked into both Christian and secular schools, but the decision is difficult. Partly because of degree choices and cost. But the other difficulty is the question of whether or not she is ready to be thrown into the often painfully liberal environment of a secular college. She needs to be ready for the real world… Have we prepared her for that, or does she need time in a Christ-centered college to strengthen her faith even more? At what point is she ready to go out into the dark world and shine the light of Christ?

In my personal devotion time this morning I was reading Psalm 12, and it troubled me. When I look around, I see that we do live in a world where evil is celebrated, maybe on college campuses more than anywhere else. There is a promise in that passage that God will protect us from that evil. However, at this point in ministry, I have seen so many young people from Christian homes dive headfirst into this wicked world when they leave for college. What can I do to prepare my little girl? Well, any time I read a difficult Scripture, I look very carefully at the verses before and after. When I did that this morning, I saw verse 6; “The words of the Lord are pure words, refined like silver.” For my child to recognize the difference between the evil world and the goodness of God, she must know the Word of God. This is my first time sending one of my children out into the world, so I’m no expert. But maybe my question should not be “where should she go to college?”, but “how well does she know and love the Word of God?” I think, if I can answer the second question with a confident “yes,” the answer to the first question will become much clearer.

Heavenly Father, give me every tool I need to lead my daughter to know, love, and obey Your Word. And give each of us a passion to know Your righteousness in a world that exalts evil.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Shane Cannon