What a great day it is when a couple discovers they're going to be parents! It's even more exciting for those who have been unable to have children. Such was the case for Manoah and his wife, the parents-to-be of Samson.

The "Angel of the Lord" appeared to Manoah's wife and told her that she would bear a son, one who would "begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines" (Judges 13:5). He also told her how she was to live and that her son was to be a "Nazirite to God" (vv.4-5).

When she told her husband about it, he asked the Lord to send the Angel again and give them further instructions. Manoah's question was: "What will be the boy's rule of life, and his work?" (v.12). But the Angel's answer pointed primarily to the obedience of the mother (vv.13-14).

As parents, the question we should ask ourselves is not "How can we produce a godly or successful child?" but rather "How can we be more godly parents?" The first question has to do with the end result over which we have no control; the second has to do with a process over which we do have control. Our prayer should be: "Lord, make us the kind of parents You want us to be."  —David Roper  — David H. Roper