So each generation should set its hope anew on God,
not forgetting his glorious miracles
and obeying his commands.
Psalm 78:7, NLT*
The Israelites passed down their experiences with God from generation to generation, and somehow the Holy Spirit worked an alchemy in believing souls to change “heard” knowledge into “heart” knowledge.
Knowing the stories was never enough; the other nations knew them, and trembled. God wanted relationship with His people, where they could love and trust Him as well as revering and worshiping Him.
When they “set their hope anew” on Him, they thrived. When they forgot what God had done—and He did some highly memorable miracles—or when they stopped believing or rationalized it away, the psalmist describes them as “stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God.” (Psalm 78:8, NLT* emphasis mine)
The same goes for us today, and for our children and their children. We have the miracles—and commands—of God preserved in the Bible. We have the testimonies of other Christians in person or in print. We have our personal encounters with the Lord of Heaven.
We need to remember them, and set our hearts and our hopes anew on God no matter what circumstances surround us. We need to pass them on to the next generation, but that generation is responsible to take them personally.
Faith isn’t a history lesson, or literature, myth or fairy tale. Theoretical nods to God don’t do much except set us up to fall.
Father God, You have drawn us to Yourself with a love stronger than we can know. Refresh our faith, rekindle our first love for You, and work in our children’s and grandchildren’s spirits to awaken them to Your love too. Let us not refuse to give our hearts to You. Let none of us be lost.
∞
Let the Newsboys’ new song, “Live With Abandon,” be our prayer.
*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Amen! Thanks for the song and encouragement. Many Blessings!!
Thanks for stopping by! May we remember and share our stories, to God’s glory.
That’s really helpful, Janet. We have to tell and tell ourselves the stories of the goodness of the Lord.
It’s funny how quickly we forget the evidence of God in our lives, Ruth Ann. Especially when it’s what we need to nourish our faith!
The transformation from head knowledge to heart knowledge IS miraculous for each new generation and each of us individually. I am so thankful for everything Father God lets me understand. Precious thoughts, Janet.
I used to pray “Lord, trickle this from my head to my heart.” Sometimes the head doesn’t get it, either, but when the heart does, it’s a keeper.