It is generational

His descendants will be mighty on earth, the generation of the upright will be blessed 

(Psalm 112:2, NKJV)

One of the beautiful things to watch or be a part of, is a meeting of related people across generations.  With improved life spans, individuals are getting to meet children born after them to 3rd and 4th  generations and maybe for some, there is a 5th generation.  Watching the interaction of the older people with the younger ones brings excitement especially when each group shares what was or is beautiful about their time.  Such family meetings are rich and allow for transfer of family values and cultures through the years.  Interestingly, I have found that there are family friends who also go generational, where the parents were friends and the children grow up to be friends too.  The bond of friendship so forged is strong as the individuals have stood with each other through different seasons of life.  It is a blessing to have such friendships that last into next generations as they speak of sincere connections.  These are the friendships that linger on and on.

Our God is a generational God and that is why He speaks to us about the generations to come.  Lineage is important to Him and our reference verse is one that each parent would want to hear, that our children and descendants to come will not only be great in the land but also blessed.  When we think of God’s promise for generations, we cannot but acknowledge this as a marker of His faithfulness to His people, a taste of His everlasting love for us not just for now but for eternity.  He is concerned about our lineage and the blessing we have today should not end with us.  We live in a space of time where each is seeking to do all that they can do for themselves, and often forget that there are others coming after us.  Someone once said that we have borrowed the environment from our children, telling us that the earth and all it contains is for posterity and so we cannot be so selfish as to think of just ourselves.  God sees humanity with a lens of posterity and we therefore must live with the awareness that we have a duty to nurture not only the earth but more so the people we interact with leaving a mark for those who come after us.  

Brethren how we guide the younger ones that we are privileged to come across is important to God.  The children of Israel were told to keep memorials for future generations of what God had done for them and how He rescued them from Egypt (Exodus 13:14).  Moses speaking at the command of God stressed the importance of keeping this memory of God’s hand of strength and might that saw them out of captivity. We too are asked to share with our offsprings and generations of what the Lord has done for us (Psalm 78:4).  Prophet Joel is even more explicit about it, he tells us to tell our children and they in turn tell their children of God’s hand (Joel 1:3).  This is meant to be a rolling story from one generation to the next all about the greatness and faithfulness of God to His people.  Yes, one generation shall praise and declare God’s mighty works to the next (Psalm 145:4).  Our God does not change with generations and wants to be God not just for us at the moment but for all time.  It is no wonder that He is referred to as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – a lineage through which He kept His promises.  Beloved, we too have a role to keep the praises of His wonderous works known and proclaimed to those who were not there, so that they too learn to depend on Him as faithful. 

Thoughts

What memoirs of God’s faithfulness have you kept?

How have you shared this with others?

What has stopped you for sharing God’s faithfulness with others?