Share The Hope

“For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:” (Ps 78:5-7 AV)

 

I realize the underlined portion is a statement.  However, by starting this portion with the word ‘who’, we can pose it as a question.  Each successive generation loses a bit of godliness.  Current generations tend to be a bit less separated and holy than the last.  As one preacher used to say, “What parents do in moderation, their kids will do in access.”  We are losing our younger generation to the gods of entertainment and access.  They lack a God-consciousness.  Their lives are lived in the here and now and nothing seems to concern them.  I fear when they finally do mature to a place where they will need God, they will not be able to find Him.  They will not know what to look for.  They will not know how to communicate.  They will be unfamiliar with the voice of God and will not recognize the hand of God.  Why?  Because no one has taught them what the God of their fathers has done.  We haven’t heard of the churches that were started and the bars that were closed.  We haven’t heard of the miracles.  We haven’t heard of the great revivals.  We haven’t heard how God blesses when we put our faith in Him.  In short, we are losing our younger generation because God is not real to them.  And that lies squarely at the feet of the older generations.

When one thinks about it, if we do not rehearse the works and person of God to our children, we are robbing them of a life they could have had.  Note in particular the purpose for rehearsing these things is that they might hope in God.  This suggests if we do not rehearse them to our children, then their hope is lost.  Or, at the very least, their hope is in something that will eventually disappoint.  The more we speak of God’s faithfulness, the more apt our children will be to trust the same God of whom we brag.  Learning to swim can be traumatic.  Learning to trust the skill of a parent or instructor in the face of certain death is almost impossible.  However, my father insisted all his children learn to swim.  We started at the local high school.  Our instructors were red cross certified instructors.  There were steps we had to take.  We had to learn certain skills and were signed off as sufficient before we went on to the next level.  The ultimate goal was to jump into the water deeper than our height.  The deep end was the ultimate goal.  Our instructors led us each step of the way so we could dive in the deep end, tread water, and eventually swim the length of the pool and climb out of shallow water.  The thing is, when we went camping, my father would jump into the pond and have a ball.  He would swim around and show his children it could be done safely.  His confidence became our confidence. 

God is spirit.  He is not evidently set forth to us by the natural senses.  Romans chapter one rightly explains there is evidence of God’s work and presence as seen in His natural creation.   However, God cannot be touched, heard with the ear, or seen with the eyes.  His existence is proven evidentiary, not concretely.  Our young people need to be taught how to see.  They need to be taught how to hear.  They need to be taught how to sense.  These things do not come naturally.  It is by the diligent efforts of those who know the LORD do lead those who do not into His reality.  If they seldom hear of a real God, then they will not believe in one.  If they do not hear of a God who is active and benevolent, then they will not come to trust Him.  If they do not hear of God’s faithfulness, then they will not search Him out when they need Him the most.  It is at our feet.  It is on us.  We need to make God very real to those whom God has entrusted us with and be sure that when the time comes, they hope in God.