07/31/2022
When it comes to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the Word of God, we do a fairly good job as believers, but do we spend enough time with our children and grandchildren telling them about the glorious, wonderful, and occasionally miraculous ways that God has dealt with our families? Do we tell them about the amazing ways that Jesus has transformed us personally, or saved the souls of our relatives, and ancestors? We don’t serve, and believe in a distant God, but a very personal God who is with us, and engaged in our lives every day. Have we witnessed great moments of faith in our lives, or families… if so then we must share them with our children so that they can see how God, and Jesus just don’t just love and help others… they love and help our family too.
“We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.”
Psalm 78:4 ESV
My mother was raised in a tiny one room log cabin in North Carolina with seven brothers and sisters. They didn’t have much, but their family was close, and their faith played a central role in their lives. God eased the hardships they faced, and those moments when He actively interceded in their lives became more than family lore, they became encouragements of faith.
“Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord:”
Psalm 102:18 ESV
As I was growing up my mother talked to my siblings, and me, about Jesus, God, and how they moved in our family, but no story was more powerful than the one she told us of her little four year old sister who died of Pneumonia, and what occurred in the final moments of her life. I told you about the small log cabin, and how many lived in it so that you could understand that nothing happened in that household that the others didn’t see, and hear. Well, little Louise was deathly sick, and was being tended to by her mother. There weren’t antibiotics to help in those days so you would simply comfort the sick, and pray for them. In this environment little Louise kept getting sicker, until at last she was at death’s door. In her last moments, and with all of the family gathered at her bedside, something amazing happened. Suddenly becoming lucid, she raised her arm and pointed towards where the log wall met the rafters, and said “Look momma, here come the angels!”, and then she died.
“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up...”
Psalm 91:11-12 ESV
This story, and others like it made those we would read in the Bible personal, and very real to us; they brought Jesus to life in a way that reinforced our faith in the gospel, and taught us that He was alive and moving in our family today, and every day. Our faith became our legacy, and our walk with God an everyday reality.
““Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Write in a book all the words that I have spoken to you. For behold, days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the Lord, and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall take possession of it.””
Jeremiah 30:2-3 ESV
There is power in testimony, because it affirms that our faith is living, and God walks among us right now. When we give our testimony to others, so that it might strengthen their faith, it will do so for a while, but when we tell our children the family stories of our faith, and write down what has been done for us, it lasts for generations upon generations to come. Suddenly the goodness of the Lord becomes a part of us… even if we are a humble house full of poor children, and two parents who are struggling mightily to provide for them through self-sacrifice, sweat, and prayer.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the way you provide for us, and intercede in the personal lives of our families today. Help us Lord to faithfully convey all that you have done for us so that our children will remember always that you care about us, and are just as active in our lives today as you were in those of the Bible characters in ancient times. Teach us how best to tell the stories of your goodness and mercy towards our families, as we strive to become witnesses to the blessings you have poured into us. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God whose Son abides in us and we in Him; even as He abides in you, and you in Him. Praised be your name for every occasion in which you exercise grace through Him, and bless our families. Merciful are you who feeds us when we are hungry, gives us water when we are thirsty, blesses us mightily, and encourages us with the remembrance of your goodness for generations to come. Inspire us to write stories, poems, and songs to help us as we seek you, and search for added strength as we believe. Open the eyes of our children, and children’s children, for generations to come regarding your love for us… not only as a people, but as individuals, and a family that loves you.
Rich Forbes