For He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers, that they should teach them to their children, that the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, that they should arise and tell them to their children that they should put their confidence in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments and not be like their fathers,a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not prepare its heart, and whose spirit was not faithful to God. Psalm 78:5-8
As a Mom, there is so much I want to teach my kids. So many things to cover. From how to read to what to read. From how to write to the importance of writing those thank you notes. From how to work to managing money, giving it away, and serving the Body of Christ. From choosing a spouse to being the right kind of mate. So many things to cover! How can I get it all in??? Or even know what’s important???
I think this passage from Psalm 78 tells us the main thing our children need to be taught. The one thing we must focus on, the thing that must eclipse all else. The thing that we need to know, not just our children.
To put their confidence in God.
Sounds good.
But what does that mean? What does that look like? How can we do it?
I think it means this…
When we teach our children to put their confidence in God, we do so by teaching them that He is faithful. Reminding them of “the works of God”. He is faithful. He is powerful. He is worthy. We convey to them not only His works in the Old Testament (which contains some awesome and exciting things for our kids to learn!) but also His visible works all around them in creation. And especially His glorious work in our own lives. Personal testimony is compelling. Notice in vs 5-6 that each generation is to teach this truth to the next one - God is indeed worth our confidence because He is at work all around us…and He wins!
Putting our confidence in God means we know that He is worthy of our worship and our obedience - v. 7 “keep His commandments”. We must convey to our children that His commandments are not burdensome but rather the path to blessing and joy. We must present them the truth about God - He is our loving Father who purposes to fill our lives with His gifts. When we are confident that His ways are best, we eagerly submit to them!
When our children are ever cognizant of God’s faithfulness and His love, they will not be filled with pride and rebellion (v. 8) but rather with humility and thanksgiving. Being confident in God means that we do not rely on our own abilities or plans but rather we entrust ourselves to God’s grace and His purpose.
Confidence in God produces a great and lasting legacy, from one generation to the next. We have the potential to impact thousands of our family line that we will never know in this life!
And, always remember, it’s easiest to teach others what we intimately know ourselves….just sayin….