The Next Generation
Psalm 71:17, 18
17 O God, You have taught me from my youth; and to this day I declare Your wondrous works. 18 Now also when I am old and gray headed, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, your power to everyone who is to come.
It was my privilege to be raised in a family that loved the Lord with all their hearts. They always kept me in an environment where I would be taught the things of God and where people sought Him, worshipped Him, and loved the movings of His Holy Spirit when we were together as a body of people before the Lord in worship. I grew up hearing the fathers of the faith tell their stories about the miracles and supernatural power of God that had been poured out over their lives and ministries. I have grown up in the Presence of the Lord to the place that my life will be forever be marked, unable to live without the sense of His constant Presence available to us. My heart cries out for the next generations coming up after mine, for I fear that they have not had the privilege to have experienced the miraculous of God to such a level as was available initially in past generations. The culture has so declined that as the Word of God says, “sin did much more abound.” Church services have been dumbed down to a juvenile level with hopping worship singers, flashing lights, and songs that have little to no meaning, but cutesy, pulsating sounds and meaningless lyrics a third grader might enjoy. Oh, not all worship is that extreme, but what about the worship that arises so strong that you can’t move on? Are those days gone forever? Does anyone know how to linger around an altar anymore? The youth that I used to pastor would literally camp out with their sleeping bags on the altar of the Lord. Many of them to this day, are strong Christians serving the Lord still with a sold out commitment to serve their Lord. Oh, how my heart cries for the younger generations. I wish I had my youth to live all over again that I could lead them to the waters of the Living God. I pray all the time for a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit of God to fall fresh on them, that is if they can find time for Him between everything else this world has them tied up doing and being involved in. Parents don’t seem to see the necessity for their son or daughter to be in the Presence of the Lord, learning and hearing and experiencing Him. They’re too busy to drop them off, or even they themselves to make a Bible study or a prayer meeting. Why should they feel that they kids need to be in the Presence of the Lord? It frightens me what the final outcome with be for their lives. Let’s believe the Lord to move in such a way that He captures the hearts of this next generation and makes them living firebrands of His Presence and ways. And may we, of the older generations not fail to share, pouring out every chance we get, all our experiences and prayers for them.
What about you? Do you pray and share with the younger generations? How will they know unless we tell them. It’s such an important issue. Let’s join our hearts and commit to being light and life to the younger generations in Jesus’ Name. He will be faithful to help us. Blessings on your day.
