A Prayer for the Next Generation to Be Amazed By God
By Megan Evans
“…After them another generation rose up who did not know the Lord or the works he had done for Israel.” - Judges 2:10b (CSB)
I recall a child named Tilly, whom I taught one summer during Vacation Bible School. This sweet girl was 11 years old and had never been inside a church before, and she had never opened a Bible. While this broke my heart, what pained me the most was that she had never even heard of Adam and Eve. This foundational building block of faith and basic understanding of creation was completely missing in her life. A neighbor invited and brought her VBS that week, and I remember her hunger for God’s Word. She not only learned of the Bible that week, she asked Jesus to be her Savior. Like Tilly, how many people are growing up without knowing their Creator and Redeemer? The thought frightens me, and perhaps you as well.
That week, I learned about the fragility of each generation and why it is essential to share God’s Word and tell of His wonders. Up to that point, I had never met a child to whom Christianity was so foreign. Having been raised in the church, I had taken basic biblical groundwork for granted. This encounter not only opened my eyes, it also opened my heart.
Joshua 24:31 says, “Israel worshiped the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime and during the lifetimes of the elders who outlived Joshua and who had experienced all the works the Lord had done for Israel.” But Judges 2:8-10 explains, “Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110. They buried him in the territory of his inheritance, in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. That whole generation was also gathered to their ancestors. After them another generation rose up who did not know the Lord or the works he had done for Israel.”
How was it possible for a generation of Israelites to grow up not acknowledging God or the mighty things He had done for Israel? Their ancestors had been freed from slavery and led through the Red Sea by Moses, and Joshua led their relatives across the Jordan River into the promised land! Perhaps the extraordinary had just become ordinary. Did they stop telling these accounts to one another or, most importantly, their children?
Does this grieve you as it does me? As I look around the world today, more and more children, teens, and young adults are in awe of humanity--even celebrating opposition to God. But is this surprising when adults are doing the very same things? If we want the next generation to be amazed by God, it starts with you and me. Getting to know God through His Word and learning His great love and amazing works fosters awe and a daily reliance that will naturally spill into our attitudes, words, and actions. In addition, we can ask the Lord to show us opportunities for intentional ministry and disciple-making in the world around us.
While watching the world push God away can sometimes feel frustrating and overwhelming, we are not helpless. Individual impact can feel extremely small, yet we must remember that we serve a mighty God. Jesus loves the lost, and so should we. He is very much still at work in the world today and invites every believer to participate. He is growing His Kingdom, and the best is yet to come!
Rather than growing complacent by the overwhelm of headlines proclaiming the world’s moral decline, let’s proclaim the goodness of God. Psalm 78, for example, reminds us to talk about the beautiful things God has done in our lives and throughout humanity and to teach God’s Word to the next generation. The psalmist implores us not to be fearful but to praise God and share what we’ve learned from the past so they, too, might put their confidence in God. Why? “…So that a future generation—children yet to be born—might know” (verse 6). Be encouraged. So let’s tell the next generation that God loves them, teach the Bible, and talk about the difference it makes to follow Jesus.
Let’s pray:
Father God, fall on us and stir the hearts of this new generation to receive your Son, Jesus Christ, as their Lord and Savior. Stir my heart and open my eyes to lost people in my daily walk of life. Teach me how to be your disciple and disciple-maker. I want to tell of my relationship with Jesus to others, including youth, and I confess I need your strength. Give me boldness and clarity as I speak of your love and mighty works in my daily conversations. You have commissioned me to take your gospel message throughout the earth (Matthew 28:19), and a generation of children and adults in my community need discipleship. I believe you have placed me exactly where you want to use me today and have equipped me with a unique personality, talents, and abilities you can use to reach the next generation. Embolden and show me opportunities to teach your love, acts, and commands intentionally.
In Jesus' Name, amen.
Photo credit: ©Unsplash/Radu Florin
Editor's Note: We're proud to announce we've just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You'll soon be able to subscribe to receive Your Nightly Prayer via email, or as a podcast, but for now you can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer. We hope it's a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on who God is.
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