Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation. — Joel 1:3
I cannot tell you how many times I have been talking with someone and heard them share about the goodness of God. I will never forget one older man that I knew growing up, who would share stories with me about how God provided and intervened in his life. He shared stories about people coming from miles around in their horse and buggy just to hear a preacher preach.
He could tell you about the miracles that he witnessed, where perhaps doctors told someone there was nothing they could do and God intervened and allowed that person to live. He told me stories about how he remembers being poor and having little to eat, but that God always provided even though times were hard.
I also heard a lot of stories from both of my grandfathers. They shared a lot about how God had worked in their lives. I have even heard those same stories from my father about his time growing up and the things that he saw.
While times are certainly different today, I still think back on the times I had to sit and listen to all of these people who were in generations before me. There is one common theme from generation to generation, that is that God has been ever-present, God has always provided, and they always say how God has been so good to them.
Unfortunately, it seems like many of those stories are dying out in our day. We have become so busy in our lives that we often forget to share those stories with those around us and perhaps even our children. In the verse in Joel, it is sharing the importance of telling each and every generation about the things God has done.
I may never have the experience of having to go to church in a horse and buggy or many of the other examples that each of these have shared. While I may not have the exact same experiences, life continues to bring about experiences that I can look back to their experiences for help.
When my life gets challenging, I have decades of stories that have said how good God was to each of these people. I can see how good God was and how he worked through decades of struggles and cares of life. It encourages me to go to God because He has always been faithful.
The struggles and the cares may change, but one thing has remained the same. God has not changed. He has been there and provided in each and every circumstance. We must continue telling those around us about the goodness of God. They need to hear about it, learn from it, and remember it. If we don’t, future generations may forget about Him when in times of need.