To the Next Generation

Ps.1:17-18

O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.

So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.

This is my mission and what should be constantly in my thoughts. How can I proclaim your wondrous deeds to the next generation? Certainly through my words but also through my actions. Together they should form a complete picture of Jesus Christ and His saving grace. As I read on, I see David has written about ways that he used and that I might use as well to accomplish my mission. 

Praise is an important way to share the wondrous deeds of God. David praised God with the harp and with his voice. In fact, he was so exuberant that he was shouting for joy when praising God. This kind of enthusiasm is contagious! [Especially to the next generation] Practically this can be seen in the way I handle illness. Even though I have a debilitating illness, I still praise God! I can trust what is true about God and rest in the fact that all He sends my way is for my good. Praising Him through the pain. Praising Him when the days are dark.

I can remember what God has done in years past and share the stories of how God has worked in my life. Not just victories but the failures and what I learned from them. My tongue will talk of Your righteous help all the day long. This not only speaks of content but also of duration, all day long. What God is doing and has done in my life should fill up much of my conversation. When I see one of the grandchildren going through something hard, I can come alongside and listen. Perhaps even share something that I endured as well. Most of all share how God can work through any circumstance. 

Earlier in the psalm David says, But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more...Such hope as this should be obvious in  my life. Constantly looking forward and upward should keep me from looking downward and becoming steeped in the pain of this life. Keeping my focus on Him can make whatever is happening in this life better. 

Prayer must be an integral part of my life. Prayer keeps me in touch with God. It is where I can ask Him to help me understand life through His eyes, not just for my life but for all those God brings my way. 

Father,

Help me to proclaim Your might to another generation. Let me life and my words honor You. Keep my focus ever upward, constantly seeking Your face.

In Jesus name,

Amen