Psalm 48:12-14, Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers, consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation:
“This is God / Our God forever and ever / He will guide us forever.”
Contemplating the Gospel is a life-long, disciplined, work. We bring Jesus’ presence and abilities, His finished, future, and current work, into conversation with our ever changing, shifting, evolving struggles, sins, and fragilities.
Apart from our peace and joy, what is this for? Is it meant to do anything else? Yes, the Christian life has this goal: that we tell future generations something extremely important.
Do you know what that is? What is most important for the next generation to know?
In this beautiful psalm the sons of Korah tell us. Perhaps this is what they found most helpful from their mentors, and what they now see as most significant to pass on.
This is God
The Bible’s God is not the only god on the market. Many gods compete for our eyes, minds, hearts, hands, time and money. But only one of these is God. There is only one God. This is God.
The most important thing about a person is what they think about God. If that vision of God is flawed, it will result in ways of thinking and being that are not whole or wholesome, neither human or holy. Where can a person go for a right knowledge of God? The Covenant of God—recounted in the stories of the Old Testament and embodied in Jesus Himself—must be the thing that instructs us. In other words, Jesus must be the vision of God we and our children know.
Our God
This is God and, wonderfully, He has attached Himself to us! Who could have believed it! God made a covenant with His creations, to bless them and keep them. Of all the attributes of God, the most significant for our children to get is that He has attached Himself to them in love. And all of His infinite perfections He Himself has harnessed in service of their being blessed and kept. Knowing this, deep in their bones, is the greatest blessing and the greatest protection we can bestow upon anyone we love.
Forever and ever
But know this about your God: that unlike all other no-gods, and unlike all other relationships you encounter in your life, He alone will be yours forever and ever. Every single person, thing, hope, dream and eager expectation will disappoint you. Except one. Our God won’t disappoint you. And this isn’t even that great “till death do us part” kind of a promise of love, but a forever-and-ever promise. Past the point of pain and breath, you shall be His. Past the point of forever, you shall be His. Into whatever “ever” means, you shall be His. This is God, our God.
He will guide us forever.
And more, you need to know this about God: that while many people whom you love, who have attached themselves to you, who have committed themselves to you, even for life, He alone will actually be with you that whole time. He will never travel to a different continent. He will never be preoccupied or asleep or laid up with a bad back. He will never have earbuds in. He will walk with you. For that whole forever, He shall be yours in a practical, with-you way, and not just in an emotional, existential, way.
And what a joy this is! Far from being mere emotional support on our journey, the “this is God”-God will guide us the whole way. Would you love to have a “God’s-eye” view? It’s yours. You have not been left to “do that which is right in your own eyes”; you have a guide. It’s so sad to see believers who ought to be walking deeply in the fresh footsteps of their God instead off making decisions on their own. We have our God to guide us! Forever! Teenager years… young adulthood… early marriage… child-raising years… empty nesting… retirement… old age… beyond… He will guide us forever. At every forked path, during every turned ankle and through every torrential downpour… This is God, our God forever and ever.
And this is the message the next generations need to hear from you. So there is a straightforward, two-fold, application. First, does this describe your idea of who God is and what your relationship with Him is like, in Christ? Second, who in the next generation are you sharing this with?
Children and grandchildren are obvious answers, but they are several “nexts” away from where you are. The real “next” generation is that annoying generation about 5-10 years younger than you. This is the discipleship-gap that churches struggle with. Forge a relationship with someone there.
All your knowledge of God in Christ, and all your sufferings and growth, and all your experience and wisdom, has been given to you so that the next generation might know God’s character, love, wisdom, and faithfulness, more accurately and with greater confidence.
We talk about “passing on the faith.” Here, however, the Psalmist wants us to pass on “our” faith. That’s what it’s called when your confidence in Jesus flows into the heart of someone else and they experience Him to be more reliable as a result.
Get confident and get clear. And then find someone you can communicate this too.
Photo by Alejandro Ortiz on Unsplash
