Welcome to The Turnaround!
INTRODUCTION
While living in Guatemala as missionaries, our son’s 1st grade teacher challenged her students to pray to see God’s greatness and might. Our son prayed, and that very same day in the playground, he witnessed one of God’s natural wonders: a huge dust tornado. It passed right in front of him in a towering, brown majestic swirl of brown dust and green grass, traveling the length of the playground. Our son, at his tender age, witnessed the awesome sight (never repeated since) which he knew came as a result of his prayers to the God of the universe. That day cemented his belief in an Almighty and powerful God. Our son, now teaches his children of a great God who performs mighty deeds.
INSIGHT
The writer in Psalm 71 speaks of telling of the greatness of God: His mighty deeds, His righteousness, His wondrous deeds to the next generation. God depends on us to first appreciate and know God’s greatness for ourselves, and then intentionally pass that sense of wonder and awe onto the next generation. The Hebrew meaning for “wondrous deeds” conveys the idea of something being beyond the ordinary, often implying a sense of wonder or amazement. It is so easy to lose a sense of awe in this day and age, when everything we need lies a few key strokes away.
To recognize God’s greatness, we must first humble and still our hearts and minds to see more clearly His wondrous works. Our hearts must be filled with HIM, not with worldly things that would tend to draw our hearts and minds from the Father of great deeds. Only then can we fulfill the commandment to “talk of them when you sit……when you walk by the way,….. lie down and rise up.” Meditating on the Word, and speaking with our Father personally gives us a lot to discuss with our children. Teaching the next generation should be a natural as picking up our phone and sending a text message.
TURNAROUND QUESTIONS
How can you find ways to re-purpose the “ordinary” moments that fill our days (e.g. doing chores inside or outside the house, working on a car, running errands) into moments when we pass along stories of our own faith journey (in an age-appropriate manner) on to our little ones
Do you need to fill their day with TV, video games, and screen time?
In the quiet of the evening, at “lights out” time, can you linger with your young ones to allow them to expose their dreams, questions, conflicts, and fears from earlier in the day?
How are you proclaiming His greatness to this generation and the community around you?
PRAYER
Dear Father, you have entrusted to us the privilege and responsibility of passing on to Your children Your salvation, Your mighty deeds, and your upright character. Help us to be so filled with You that we, in turn, fill little hearts with wonder and amazement for the great God that You are! Help them to see that You are the God who saves, the God who is strong and the God who does mighty things!
