[ORIGINALLY WRITTEN ON OCTOBER 14, 2009]
"We have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, showing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength, and His wonderful works that He hath done. For He hath established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: that the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments” (Psalm 78:3-7).
My daddy obeyed this command. Daily did he make known to us children God’s law, His works, and His testimonies. Some of my daddy’s last words were, “Devil, you might can kill me, but I have five [sons] more behind me and you can’t touch them.” My daddy knew from the beginning that this was a direct attack from Satan trying to kill him. And he fought that devil; oh, my daddy was such a fighter! And, praise God, the battle is not lost. Even if my daddy did not live to see what will one day be numerous grandchildren, his children will be faithful to show God’s works the next generation, even to those yet unborn. My daddy gave his life for us children, and we will give our lives back to him by standing for those things he stood for. We will continue to fight his battles, and we will be victorious. Many fights take more than a generation to win, and my daddy has been faithfully equipping and preparing his children to fight the battles of the Lord.
Just a week ago, I wrote a short “About Me” statement here on Facebook. It says,
Just a week ago, I wrote a short “About Me” statement here on Facebook. It says,
“I am, first and foremost, a daughter of the King. I strive to show my loyalty to my heavenly Father through my devotion to the earthly parents to whom He has entrusted me. The Holy Scriptures call children arrows in the hands of a mighty man (Psalm 127). I am a yielded arrow under the sharpening hands of my father and mother. When my brothers, sister, and I are finally released into battle, I pray that our impact will reach farther than arrows, and instead have the force of intercontinental ballistic missiles! Hoping to one day raise up my own army of children for the Lord, I pray that the saints of God everywhere will embrace the blessings of children, being fruitful, increasing abundantly, multiplying, and waxing exceeding mighty, that the earth may be filled with them (Exodus 1:7)."
What long talks I often had with my daddy! He was so faithful to sharpen me - his arrow - for battle. I would bring my thoughts, theories, and convictions to him before I would take them to anyone else. He was always so gentle to point out to me why some of the things I would say were wrong. Other things I would say he would jump all over, add his wisdom to it, and then tell his friends. That’s when I knew I had something I could share with others. These conversations have sharpened me more than anything else.
"Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will show thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee" (Deuteronomy 32:7).
About two weeks ago, my brother Joshua and I were having one of our typical theory-developing conversations about how much one can learn from listening to the conversation of older and wiser men, or more specifically, to our daddy. It was then I had one of my “what if” moments. What if several young men took the time to walk and talk with the wisest men of our time? The Bible says, “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed” (Proverbs 13:20). Before many years pass, these younger men will have gained nearly as much wisdom as took these older men a lifetime. Granted, they will not yet have the experience, but the wisdom will be there. Fast forward several decades. Then, with these same young men now being older, wiser – yea, much wiser than the men before them - what if they likewise took the time to pass to several young men from the next generation the wisdom they have attained? What if this took place all over the country over several generations?
Well, my “what ifs” have actually happened. I have always been fascinated by the writings of our Founding Fathers. These men had a knowledge of the Bible, history, and all subjects in general, that I don’t see paralleled today, even though many of those same men had merely a few months of formal schooling. Their wisdom was the direct result of generations of wisdom being passed down through one generation to the next, each generation being wiser than the one before.
But allow me to tell you another “what if” story. What if young men had no interest in learning from their elders? What if they chose to learn everything the hardest way – firsthand experience. As they age, they, too, would grow in wisdom; however, what if the cycle continued? What if the next generation again wanted nothing to do with their elders, whose wisdom is buried with them? What if this took place all over the country over several generations?
Again, the “what ifs” are true, and we are seeing them unfold right before our very eyes. But, like I said before, my daddy was faithful to declare the works of the Lord to his children, and not just my daddy. We have countess men and women who have traveled the same paths before us. Several, having conquered the numerous temptations along the way, have left markers, testimonies of the truths they learned through their struggles and victories, to encourage those who come after to press on.
What a shame that we so often fail in the very battles that our fathers have already conquered! We need to give diligent heed to God’s works in the lives of our fathers and should be prepared, not only to conquer the same temptations they did, but to focus our energies on further conquest.
May we not be the stubborn and rebellious generation the Bible talks of:
Well, my “what ifs” have actually happened. I have always been fascinated by the writings of our Founding Fathers. These men had a knowledge of the Bible, history, and all subjects in general, that I don’t see paralleled today, even though many of those same men had merely a few months of formal schooling. Their wisdom was the direct result of generations of wisdom being passed down through one generation to the next, each generation being wiser than the one before.
But allow me to tell you another “what if” story. What if young men had no interest in learning from their elders? What if they chose to learn everything the hardest way – firsthand experience. As they age, they, too, would grow in wisdom; however, what if the cycle continued? What if the next generation again wanted nothing to do with their elders, whose wisdom is buried with them? What if this took place all over the country over several generations?
Again, the “what ifs” are true, and we are seeing them unfold right before our very eyes. But, like I said before, my daddy was faithful to declare the works of the Lord to his children, and not just my daddy. We have countess men and women who have traveled the same paths before us. Several, having conquered the numerous temptations along the way, have left markers, testimonies of the truths they learned through their struggles and victories, to encourage those who come after to press on.
What a shame that we so often fail in the very battles that our fathers have already conquered! We need to give diligent heed to God’s works in the lives of our fathers and should be prepared, not only to conquer the same temptations they did, but to focus our energies on further conquest.
May we not be the stubborn and rebellious generation the Bible talks of:
“A generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not steadfast with God… They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in His law; and forgot His works, and His wonders that He had shown them. Marvelous things did He in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt. He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and He made the waters to stand as an heap” (Psalm 78:8-13).
The Lord is the Source of all joy. Material possessions may bring temporary happiness, but they don’t bring that incomparable, fulfilling joy of the Lord that comes from putting your faith and trust in God, yielding your life to His control. How can you be miserable one day and the very next full of unspeakable joy when nothing whatsoever has changed in your circumstances? The difference is your trust in God. Like an innocent child, you can have no fear of the future. You can be filled with joy, regardless of circumstances. Don’t you just love that joyous feeling when you’re out somewhere, full of joy, wanting the world to know of your happiness? You know, that light-hearted, little-girl-like, skipping step, with head raised high, face aglow with smiles, and you’re having to refrain yourself from whistling some merry tune?
"The joy of the Lord is our strength!"
What awesome some things you have to say about your father. What a blessing!
ReplyDeleteI did not ever know my father.
This concept about learning from older, wiser role models is great. However, so many people do not have them in their lives. I didn't as i grew up, and have only recently found good role models that I can glean off of. My kids do not have a father who is saved, which is sad. I wish they were able to spend more time with godly role models.
I hear you, Mrs. Robin. Losing my father has made me realize how few children know the joy, blessing, and security of growing up in a family like mine.
ReplyDeleteI know the joy of a loving father, and, oh, now I also know the pain of fatherlessness. How I grieve for all those children who don’t know a father’s love! There is a reason God calls himself our Heavenly Father, but so many children cannot draw a parallel between the two because they’ve never experienced that kind of love from a father.
But God... Oh, how great is His mercy! He has promised to be a Father to the fatherless.
And think of Timothy, who did not receive his faith from the teaching of his Greek father, but of his mother and grandmother, as Paul says:
"When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also" (II Timothy 1:5).
Praise God! You can be encouraged, Mrs. Robin, that God will bless your efforts and save your children, as Paul says to Timothy further:
"From a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus" (II Timothy 3:15).
And then the prayer that my mother prays daily:
"And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children" (Isaiah 54:13).