Psalm 78:1-4 - August 5, 2009

Ps 78:1-4 "O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old — 3 what we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us. 4 We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done. " NIV

If you want to make the most out of your life, if you desire to be the best you can be and fulfill the highest calling that you were created for then this passage conveys a very important truth in its opening phrase: “remain teachable.” There is never a point in our lives where we no longer have anything to learn. There is no person that has all of the answers. We need one another and to make the most of this reality we must preserve a humble heart that is willing to listen and be instructed in the issues of life. Someone always has more experience and greater wisdom than you possess and if your heart is open you can learn life lessons through even the most
unexpected sources.
The Psalmist’s reflection in verses 1-4 is that of a man who has set his heart to be one of those sources. One of the great joys in life is to be a spiritual father or mother and this psalmist is declaring his intent to be a model for that to the next generation. “We will not hide them from the next generation.” This is a wonderful position of heart. The psalmist has set his heart to pass on the truths of God and the life lessons that have been passed on to him. There are many mysteries in life and in God that only time and experience can unlock for us but once they have been revealed to our hearts we then become the trustees of the life lessons that we have learned. Every truth that God brings alive in your heart is now your gift to share with someone else. Every mighty testimony of God’s powerful hand changing the course of your life and the lives of others becomes a message of hope and courage to all of those who will follow after you.
This psalmist’s heart is revealed in such a picture of fathering as he resolutely declares “we will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power and the wonders he has done.” His passion is to make known the ways of the Lord and to let no mystery, no truth that the Lord has made known pass away before it is imparted to the next generation. When we take time to leave a deposit in the hearts of those who follow after us of the precious things that the Lord has done, when we passionately impart to the next generation the ways of the Lord, then our ceiling becomes their floor! Our ending point becomes their beginning and we create a culture in God where each proceeding generation excels beyond the measure of the one before it, bringing greater and greater maturity to the kingdom of God on the earth. Open your mouth today for the Lord and be a part of this great transfer of spiritual wealth and truth to the generations that are
to come.