An Eternal Family (Psalm 128:6)

“May you see your children’s children.”
– Psalm 128:6

Psalm 128:6, Psalm 128 really has a special place in my heart. This is the chapter that I preached at my dad’s funeral that talks about a blessed man who fears God, whose wife is like a fruitful vine within his house, whose children are like olive shoots around his table. It’s just a powerful picture of God’s grace in a man who leads his home well, who fears God, and the fruit that flows from that.

When we fear God, we find ourselves as a part of a family that transcends this world.

Then you get to Psalm 128:6 and it says, may you see your children’s children? This is one of the things that’s most sad when I read this verse and think about my dad’s funeral, because he never met my kids, like he never met each of my children. I tell them all about Grandpa, but they’ve never met him.

They’ve seen pictures of him and I wish that they could have met him and I wish that he could have seen them. But that leads to the beauty I believe of Psalm 128:6, “May you see your children’s children because those who fear the Lord will see their children’s children.” Assuming those children trust in Jesus and assuming, assuming those children also fear the Lord, the reality is one day my kids who trust in Jesus will meet grandpa.

In fact, they’re going to meet him really, really soon, relatively, and they’re going to have a lot of time with him, like eternity with him. The beauty of what happens when we fear God is that we find ourselves a part of family that transcends this world. And so I’m looking forward to the day when my sons, my daughter, finally meet Grandpa and he meets them. And together we celebrate the fruit of the blessing of God that transcends this world.

Psalm 128:6 and Psalm 128 Teaches of A Faithful Family

So God, I pray based on Psalm 128 that you would make me a faithful husband and dad, like this chapter talks about like I’ve seen in my dad. God, I pray that for every other husband or dad who’s listening to this right now, God, I pray that you’d help them to be faithful husbands and faithful dads to live what’s going to matter forever. And pray for women who are wives, moms, for them to be faithful wives, faithful moms, to live in their families for what matters forever.

I pray for my single brothers and sisters that they would see themselves as part of family that transcends physical ties and to live for children, for spiritual children, for disciples to be made that transcend this world and even the poor, the gospel end to other physical children that together we might teach the next generation to know you.

And God, even in my own life, God, I would love to meet my children’s children. God, I would love that. I ask for that. I would love to meet them, but God, I know that’s not guaranteed, but God, I pray in a much deeper way than I pray that I would see them in this earth. So, God, I pray that I would see them in eternity. God, I pray for my children’s children to know you.

The Family Of God

And God, I pray that they would know you, they would receive your grace. God, I pray right now from my kids’ kids and for their kids, God, for generations, God, that I will not see in this world. Oh God, I pray that I would see them in heaven. God, I pray that you’d bring them to Christ. I plead for that.

I pray for that, for all of us who are praying this right now, for two generations from now, three generations from now, that we would have people in our families who love you and know you and worship you and are in heaven with you as a result of our walks with you. God, help us to fear you. Help us to love you. Help us to love those who are coming behind us in such a way that they know your love and those who come behind them know your love and those who come behind them know and enjoy and receive and walk in your love and love you.

Oh God, please cause your grace to be passed down from generation to generation through our lives. We pray in Jesus name. Amen.