GENERATIONAL FAITH
12th Sep 2018
I’m reading through 2 Chronicles at the moment, and the writer makes it very clear that those who followed God were blessed and so was the country they led. The reverse was true for those who followed idols and led the country into sin and so became vulnerable to their enemies. There seems no continuity between the faith of one generation and another, although God is faithful and even after gross sinful behaviour He restores and forgives the penitent.
Meditating on this, I remembered a time of great heartache as we saw our teenage children being influenced by friends who had no time for God. Fear began to grip us and other parents in our circle of friends. We got together and began to petition God for our children; I have to say it was more a repetition of their misdemeanours and our fears. Into this prayer meeting entered Colin the leader of the community to which at that time belonged. He stopped us with a question, “What has God promised for these children?” The whole focus changed, instead of rehearsing the failure and fear, we began to exercise “faith” and repent of our unbelief.
Faith for the next generation is our responsibility, as is modelling a real living relationship with God, as well as speaking honestly and standing on the promises of God. Our own children have made faith in God a lifestyle, for which we are truly grateful, but now our focus is for this next generation. We have eighteen grandchildren and want to see a God reality in each of their lives.
We are praying for personal encounters for each one. God has no grandchildren. It always has to be a first hand experience of the living God, not religious learned behaviour, but personal understanding of God at work in their lives, speaking to them, acting on their behalf, walking with them in life.
Godly upbringing and values are of great benefit, but nothing can replace a living personal encounter. So our prayer for the next generation is, “Father reveal Yourself in your mercy and grace, invade their lives with Your life, fill each one with Your Holy Spirit, and cause them to hear Your voice with greater and greater clarity.”
by Joyce Sibthorpe
