“O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old.”
– Psalm 44:1
Now, what’s interesting about Psalm 44:1 is right after this verse, the Psalms recounts God’s power, and might, and love, and grace. How God has shown himself strong on behalf of his people. And the Psalmist is recounting how he’s heard from his fathers about what God has done, and who God is Yet in this Psalm, the Psalmist is struggling, because the Psalmist is wondering, “Where are you, God? When are you going to show yourself strong on our behalf?” But it’s that picture that I think is so powerful in this Psalm.
How is God calling us to pass the good news of the gospel on to the next generation?
There are times when we have questions about what God is doing, where God is, why this is happening? We all have questions like that in our lives. Right? We all get to points where we wonder, “God, what are you doing in this? When will you show your justice? When will you show your mercy? God, when will you show your power? I’ve heard these things about you, and I’m praying that I might see these things in you, from you, in this circumstance in my life, or this circumstance in the world.” But that’s kind of the point, isn’t it?
In the days where we struggle in our faith, it is good to be able to look back, and remember who God is, and what God has done, how God has shown himself faithful over, and over, and over again to his people. It’s one of the things that’s so good just about reading God’s word, is we’re reminded who God is, and what God has done in ways that strengthen our faith in hard times. The reason I read Psalm 44:1, and what I want to lead us to pray according to is this picture of how the Psalmist is able to remember who God is, and remember what God has done, because he has fathers in the faith, maybe physical fathers, others who have told him who God is, and what God has done.
Psalm 44:1 Reminds Us to Tell Others About What God Has Done
This is one of our greatest responsibilities to make sure that you and I pass on to those who come behind us, who God is, and what God has done. We must be faithful to do this with our children, and our children’s children. I don’t just mean physical children, although that certainly involves physical children, but spiritual children. We must pass the gospel on to the next generation. We must be faithful to tell those who come behind us who God is, and what deeds he has performed in our days, and in the days of old. I just want to encourage you in a fresh way today to think about who is coming behind you in the faith, and how can you faithfully pass on the good news of who God is, and what God has done in the past to them.
God, we pray that you’d help us to be faithful in this way. We pray that you’d help us to be faithful to pass the gospel on to the next generation, and to tell the stories of how you have been faithful for centuries before, and specifically how you have been faithful in each of our lives. God, we pray that even today, you might give us an opportunity, and help us to take it, to tell someone else about who you are, and how you have been faithful in our lives in ways that would strengthen their faith.
Prayer For the Spread of the Good News
God, even as we see so many statistics about decreasing church attendance in succeeding generations, decreasing faith and devotion to you. I think about that, particularly in the country where I live in the United States, God, we pray. Help us, as your church, as your people, to faithfully pass the gospel on to the next generation, so that when their faith is attacked, or when they face questions, they might be able to say Psalm 44:1.
“O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, our mothers have told us, those who’ve gone before us have told us what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old, in ways that would strengthen their faith in their day.” God, please help us. Today, this week, in our lives, and our families, and our churches to faithfully pass on the news of who you are, and what you’ve done to those who come behind us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
