Deuteronomy 6:7,8 & 9 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
The Jewish homes had reminders of history on their hands, heads and houses. When the future generation who did not have the taste of slavery or the desert asked them about the decrees of the doorframes, they were to narrate the freedom, liberty and sovereignty of God to them. “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand” (Deuteronomy 6:21). History unveils the mystery of God’s goodness, graciousness and greatness. All of us go through oppression, suppression, loss, desert, dryness and desperations. It is in our lowest, breaking points of life that God recalibrates and revitalizes our faith to the next level. There is no moulding without melting; No making without breaking.
History records victories and defeats, battles and wars, The Bible vividly narrates the rise and fall, success and messes of the heroes of the Bible. As much as their faith walk impresses us, their mistakes remain as a warning, caution and a tutorial for us. Have a landmark, record, sign, symbol and an icon to mark both your success and defeats to pass on to the next generation as a caution and a caveat.
Three simple symbols to recount the past:
1. Placards: Placards are sign boards that advertise, represent or advocate a message. Collect journals of miracles, recorded dreams and promise cards that have impressed you. Discuss about it around the dinner table or when you lazy around in the family lounge. Stories captivate the attention of growing children. Real time personal stories of success and muddles and God’s victorious hands that carried us through the desert will leave a lasting impression on the generation to come.
2. Portraits: With the advancement in photography, we don’t hold physical albums of photos anymore, however, printed photographs on the wall still have a profound impact. Similarly, writing down Bible verses, rather than reading them from an electronic device imprints them upon our heart. Mark your Bible with dates and incidents and as you turn the pages over the years, they will become milestones and landmarks of God’s miraculous doings.
3. Precedents: Modern technology glues us to our devices and has eaten away discussions, laughter and dialogues around dinner. If you go to a cafeteria there are more people staring at their phones than talking to each other. The older generation must pass on their experience, lifestyles and precedents and the younger generation should engage in the stories of the past. A generation that does not appreciate its history has no identity similarly, a generation that does not recount God’s goodness in good times and disasters will remain ungrateful, callous and cold. If God did it for David and Daniel, if God did it for your grandfather and your father, He will kill the giant and the lion for you.
Recounting the precedents of God’s goodness during this unprecedented times is the only way to remain strong, steady and sturdy in our faith.
Psalms 77:11 But then I recall all you have done, O LORD; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, as you carried our ancestors through the past plagues, pandemics and pestilences, you will carry us through the present epidemic. Help us to recount your faithfulness and remain strong. Amen
Leave a Reply