Six Guidelines for Graduating to High School

Dear graduates,

I wholeheartedly desire to congratulate you on your achievements. Already today you have received much advice. Today you will have many mixed feelings. Perhaps you are feeling sad inside because you have to let go of this school and your teachers.

Today you have one foot in your yesterdays, and you have one foot in your tomorrows. You are wondering, perhaps, “How shall I do in high school? How shall I face the future?” Maybe you are excited about high school, and yet deep inside of you there is a little fear. After all, you are used to being the oldest class; now you will soon be, the Lord willing, the youngest class. You have heard a lot too, haven’t you, about the temptations of your teen-age years? You wonder, “How will I do? How can I face a high school future?”

Well, I would like to leave with you six words this morning which may serve as guidelines for you on how to face high school:

The first I want to leave with you is Scripture. Dear graduates, the best way to face high school with all its temptations, including temptations of friends who want to lead you in wrong ways, is to pray that you maintain the paths of Scripture. You cannot read the Bible too much. You cannot live by the Bible too much. You cannot love the Bible too much. You cannot pray over the Bible too much. I hope that you may pray, “Lord, make me a Bible-reader, a Bible-liver, and a Bible-lover.”

There was a sixth-grade boy who came to his father one day and said, “Dad, I do not see much use in reading the Bible all the time. I do not see that people get richer, or get more things; I do not see how they gain by reading the Bible.”

The father took the boy by the hand and said, “Come, let’s go on a few visits.”

They went together to an old woman who was very poor. This boy— his name was John—listened as this woman talked.

John’s father said to this woman, “Do you not mind being poor?”

The woman said, “Oh no, the Holy Spirit has shown me through the Bible how to experience what Paul said, ‘I have learned that whatsoever state I am in, therewith to be content.’”

Then John’s father said, “John, we’re going to another home.” Here was a young woman, very ill, expecting to die.

John’s father said to her, “How do you dare face death at such a young age?”

She said, “I have one hope, and that hope the Holy Spirit has taught me through the Bible, for I am resting on these words: ‘Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.’”

Dear graduates, Johnny never had to ask his dad that question again. And I hope you never have to ask that question after seven years of training in Scripture. Oh, may you come to need the blessing of the Holy Spirit upon your Bible reading!

The second word I want to leave with you today is providence. If you want to face high school rightly, pray that you may feel the eye of God’s providence upon you. For seven years of schooling, the Lord has watched over you. Not one of you was taken away by death. Was it not God’s eye of providence that was on you? Dear friends, this is what you need in high school. You need God’s eye of favor. Pray that this may not just be providence to bear with you, but pray that it is in God’s providence to go with you in His favor. For this, you need to be born again; you need a new heart given by God’s free grace.

There was once a boy on the deck of a ship which was sinking in the ocean. All the sailors were very much afraid, but they noticed that this boy was not worried. One of the sailors came to this boy and said to him, “When all of us are afraid, why aren’t you afraid?” This boy answered, “My father is the captain, and he has his eye upon me; he will bring me through.” Oh dear graduates, I pray that in your high school years you may come for the first time or by renewal to be able to say, “The Lord is the captain who shall lead me through. His eye is upon me.” Hagar could confess also of her son, “Thou God seest me.” I hope you will remember as you face high school not only to pray for God’s favoring eye, but also to remember that His eye sees you in everything, also when you give in to temptation.

The third word I want to bring to you as you face high school is confession. The best way to face high school is to be aware of your own sins and weaknesses, to confess your sins to the Lord, and to confess God’s faithfulness to you in spite of your sins. Dear graduates, is there one of you who can say, “The Lord has rewarded me according to my sins”? Cannot everyone of you say, even outwardly by common grace, “The Lord has been better to me than I have been to Him”? Pray to confess your sins and to hear Paul’s admonition to Timothy “Continue thou in the things which thou hast learned.... And that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

The fourth word is prayer. If you want to face high school rightly, pray that God will do for you, not only naturally, but especially spiritually, what you cannot do for yourself.

There was once a handicapped girl by the name of Melanie who could not go up steps. She said to her father one day, “Father, I want to carry a gift upstairs to Grandma because it’s her birthday.” Her dad answered, “But Melanie, you cannot walk by yourself!” Melanie answered, “Father, that’s not so bad. You carry me; I’ll carry the gift to Grandma.”

Dear graduates, may you pray that the Lord may carry you and that you in turn may return His gifts unto Him. We are all spiritually handicapped. Oh, bring your handicaps to the Lord! Bring Him your confessions. Bring Him your inabilities. Come to Him like Samuel and say, “Here am I. Thy servant heareth.”

The fifth word you’ll need to face high school properly is submission. In order to face high school rightly, you must lay your whole life—and you can only do that by grace—in the lap of the Lord, bowing under Him and His ways. The Lord has given you certain gifts. The Lord has given you a body; He has given you a certain physical appearance. Some of your classmates have gifts that you don’t have. May you bow with these things before the Lord. The way to face the future, dear graduates, is to pray for grace to bow under God and say, “Lord, whatever Thou doest is right and good.”

Have you ever seen a Persian rugmaker? The rugmaker stands on scaffolding about eight feet high. He lays all colors of yarn on the ground under the scaffolding. He says to his workmen, “Hand me yellow strings; hand me white strings; hand me green strings; hand me black strings.” When the Persian rugmaker receives these strings, he stands on the scaffolding and sews a pattern that only he can see from on top. The workmen underneath cannot see what he is doing. All they see is a gnarled mass of strings that hang beneath the scaffolding. They are called to hand up all colors of strings to him— also black strings. You know that black is often the color of sorrow.

God’s Hand
In the midst of life’s
great battles
When our hopes seem
all in vain,
God’s hand
will calm the turmoil
And bring us peace again.

In the fury of the tempest
When no harbor is in sight,
A greater hand than ours
will still
The great storm’s
raging might

Dear graduates, I hope in high school that you may hand the Lord every color of string that His providence asks of you—even the black strings of affliction, disappointment, and sorrow—hand them all to the Lord. Even though you cannot see His pattern, even though you don’t know what He is doing sometimes in your young life, may you pray that He may be your rugmaker. When the rugmaker is finished, he calls his workmen onto the scaffolding to see the perfect pattern. Oh, may you one day, at the end of your lives, be called by the Lord out of free grace into everlasting glory to see all that He has done in your lives!

The last word I want to leave with you is eternity. I would say, dear graduates, if there is one word to give you strength as you face high school, it is the word eternity. If you live each day in the light of eternity, your soul shall prosper. Martin Luther was once asked what he would do differently if he were to die that day. He answered, “I would do nothing differently, for I live every day in the light of eternity.” Pray, dear graduates, that the conviction of eternity will ever be before you because that will keep you from much sin. Pray that you may fear the Lord in the light of eternity, as Scripture says, “It is appointed unto every man to die, and after that the judgment.” We read in Romans 14, “So then every one of us shall give an account of himself to God.”

These six words may help you face high school properly: Scripture, providence, confession, prayer, submission, and eternity. But to have these six words truly benefit you in a saving way, you need to have them accompanied with the saving work of the Holy Spirit. Pray to the Lord to work with His Holy Spirit in your hearts these six truths by giving you a new heart. To truly experience each of these truths you must be born again. Pray much for a new heart.

Finally, to teachers, parents, and school board, we wish to acknowledge all your labors done in love in behalf of these children. In closing, I desire to leave with you this poem, praying that it may be your prayer:

Great God, our feeble efforts own,
And crown our labors with success;
Grant that the seed in weakness sown,
May soon be raised in righteousness.

Seal our instruction on each heart,
And teach them to observe Thy ways:
Teach them to choose the better part,
And serve Thee in their youthful days.

I wish you, dear graduates, the Lord’s richest blessings out of free and sovereign grace.

Undertake For Me

O Lord, exalted far on high,
To me, in deepest need, draw nigh,
And hear my supplicating cry:
Lord, undertake for me.

As floods of guilt around me swell,
Each rising grief to Thee I tell,
Who showed Thy grace at Jacob’s well:
Lord undertake for me.

When the fierce tempter’s fiery dart
Assails my weak and wayward heart,
Give faith to keep the better part:
Lord, undertake for me.

Amid the world’s vain pomp and show,
Make me Thy deeper joys to know,
And following Thee, all else forego:
Lord, undertake for me.

Thou Lord of glory, life and light,
Lighten my dull and blinded sight;
Grant me to hear Thy voice aright
Lord, undertake for me.

My heart with Thy good Spirit fill,
And perfect all Thy holy will;
Be my support in every ill;
Lord, undertake for me.

And when across life’s stormy main,
Fair Canaan’s coast I hope to gain,
I’ll ever sing that Thou didst deign
To undertake for me.

— Found in the diary of Mr. Clive Jefferys of Studley, marked: “Copied from verses lent by a Friend.”

Petitions and Reflections upon the Birth of a Child

The first three of the following poems were written by members of our denomination upon the birth of children. The first poem may be sung to the tune of Psalter 249; the third, to Psalter 380; the fourth, to Psalter 74. Authors of the last two poems are unknown. May God graciously fulfil the contents of these poems in the lives of many of the rising generation.

God’s Faithfulness

O faithful, covenant keeping Lord,
In whom all grace and love is stored;
Remember me with Thy kind care,
And may I in Thy goodness share.

Be with me in the trying hour,
And may I feel sustaining power;
When giving birth be at my side,
And be my Helper, God, and Guide.

The help of men is truly vain,
To help us in our need and pain;
But if we look to God on high,
Then He will help, He will be nigh.

—JS

Born and Born Again

Each day new life comes into this world.
Just look a newborn baby!
A miracle is born!
Can you believe this little infant,
this tiny miniature person?

Eyes
Little lids with lashes,
eyebrows, too.
Look the eyes are open.
The little head turns right and left,
The eyes turn to the light,
They seem to be searching for
something.

Ears
Look at the form and the creases.
A voice is heard,
The head turns right and left again,
In search of what was heard.

Mouth
It is open, in search of something.
It sucks on anything within its reach,
Wanting to be filled
Seeking to satisfy a need.
A cry is heard,
Seeking to communicate a need.

Body
The whole body is moving.
The arms are swinging.
The legs are kicking.
The body stiffens and relaxes,
All the many squirming movements, too.

All proclaim the baby to be alive.
This little person,
so dependent
Each day growing and changing.
A miracle indeed!

But little baby, what will become of you?
You have loving parents
to care for you.
I’m happy for you,
some babies don’t
There is much rejoicing at your birth.
But you are born to die someday.
Little one,
you need to be born again!
Your eyes need to be reopened
to truly see.
To see your Creator
To see your Lord
To see your Light
To see yourself as God sees you.

Your ears need to be reopened
to truly hear.
To hear who God truly is
To hear who you truly are
To hear the law and gospel
To hear the voice of God.

Your mouth needs to be made hungry
for another food.
Spiritual food!
To truly satisfy your soul
To save you from spiritual death
from eternal death.
You need to cry for deliverance.

Your body needs to move
toward God.
To do the will of God
To honor and to glorify the Lord.
To depend on God
for all things.

You need to grow to know
God and yourself
more and more.
To know God as He truly is,
To know yourself as you truly are.
To love God above all
and your neighbor as yourself.

You need a miracle, little one.
I pray God will perform this miracle
recreating your life.
This new life
you cannot
and will not
ever be able to lose.

— JBK

The Lord Reigns

O praise the Lord, to Him lift up your voice;
He makes the barren woman to rejoice.
With joy and gladness let us humbly sing;
And praise and honor Him in everything.

The Lord alone determines every birth;
For He is Lord and King of all the earth.
In Him is life, and it is His to give;
Without His will, not one of us can live.

Impress upon our heart our need of Thee;
And that there is no other place to flee.
Who art alone the life, the truth, the way;
And will provide and care for us each day.

O may we realize that our life is brief;
And that in Christ alone there is relief.
In Him alone our expectation lies;
For life, for death, for mansions in the skies.

— JS

Every Righteous Way

This child, O Lord, in faith and prayer,
We now would bring to Thee;
Let it Thy covenant mercies share,
And Thy salvation see.

Such helpless babes Thou didst embrace,
While dwelling here below;
To us and ours, O God of grace,
The same compassion show.

In early days its heart secure
From worldly snares, we pray;
O let it to the end endure
In ev’ry righteous way.

A Father’s Reflections

A careful man I ought to be,
A little fellow follows me,
I do not dare to go astray,
For fear he’ll go the self-same way.

Not once can I escape his eyes;
Whate’er he sees me do he tries.
Like me he says he’s going to be
That little chap who follows me.

I must remember as I go
Through summer sun and winter snow,
I’m molding for years to be —
That little chap who follows me.

Dr. J.R. Beeke is pastor of the First Netherlands Reformed Congregation of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

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