1 My people, hear my teaching;
listen to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth with a parable;
I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
3 things we have heard and known,
things our ancestors have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their descendants;
we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
his power, and the wonders he has done.
5 He decreed statutes for Jacob
and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
to teach their children,
6 so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born,
and they in turn would tell their children.
7 Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget his deeds
but would keep his commands.
8 They would not be like their ancestors—
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
whose hearts were not loyal to God,
whose spirits were not faithful to him. – Psalm 78:1-8 (NIV)
The older I get the more I think about how I can help raise up the next generation of Christ followers. What could I offer them that’s of value? What do they really need to know? What’s the legacy I want to leave for those who come behind me? It’s so easy to be overwhelmed by this thought or to overthink the finer details, but our Scripture today reminds us of the 3 most important ways to invest in the next generations:
Tell them about God, who He is, and what He has done:
From the earliest possibility, we need to be sharing the story of the Bible with our young people. They need to know of His deliverance, His redemption, His provision, and His miracles. They need to know of His healing, His faithfulness, His cross, and His resurrection. But they don’t just need someone to read them the old stories, they need someone to tell them how these old stories aren’t just confined to the pages of Scripture but have been repeated time and time again in your own life. What personal testimonies do you have to tell the next generation of the amazing deeds, power, and wonders of the Almighty God?
Teach them and help them to know God’s Word:
If we’re going to tell them about God, then we must tell them how to follow Him and live their lives according to His rule, plans, and desires. We must show the younger generations how the Word of God is the “lamp unto their feet and a light unto their path” (Psalm 119:105) as they try to continue following Jesus in spite of the ever-changing culture around them. If we want our kids, grandkids, and beyond to keep the commands of God, we’re going to have to do more than pump information into their minds – we need to instruct them with application so that they can faithfully trust in the Lord and walk with a confident boldness for His glory. How can you come alongside the next generation to teach, guide, and mentor them in the depth and truth of God’s Word?
Allow them to learn from our past mistakes:
If there’s anything the younger generations respect, and I’ll even be bold enough to say, demand, it’s authenticity. We need to humble ourselves and tell them the mistakes of the past. We need to put fear and embarrassment aside and share with them the times we missed the mark and got it wrong. We need to share openly and honestly about the parts of our history that we’d much rather forget. All throughout the pages of Scripture we see where God’s people have sinned and fallen way short of His glory. Those stories are included not to point fingers at the faults of certain people but to be used as examples so that those who follow don’t make the same mistakes. If we’ll take off the masks and be genuine in our relationships with the next generations, we’ll find that we’ll gain their respect and trust. If we’ll openly share our shortcomings and the shortcomings of those who’ve come before us, the next generations will be more open to hear the transforming Gospel and claim it for their own. How can you share your past failures and use them for good to pave the way for the generations to come?
During this 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting, how might God be leading you to come alongside the next generations to develop and disciple them? What intentional efforts will you commit to in order to reach the next generations for Jesus? Could it be that the new thing God wants to do in you is birth a renewed passion for the next generations to ensure they know who God is, know what He’s done, and come to know Him personally?