Psalm 145:4 “One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.”
We have been assigned to make a difference in this generation and leave a legacy for all the generations that come after us. What matters most is not what we may have enjoyed in our lifetime, but what we leave behind for others. Today, we are either reaping the benefits or suffering the consequences of former generations. However, these conditions do not just develop, as there were people who set the stage that we currently occupy. In a sense, they were our fathers, for we are the products of their investments and efforts. Consequently as fathers, there are many things to consider—since we give birth to sons and daughters, what kind of world would we wish for them? Fathers of families, fathers of movements, and fathers of nations share this one thing in common; they all set the pace and rhythm for their generation. As time advances, the objective is for the progression of people commensurate to the progression of time. We are growing older, but we must also grow better.
Although God works within the framework of time, He is not confined to its limitations. He invades time with miracles, signs, and wonders, and His works are from an eternal perspective. They come down from the Father of Lights, where there is no variation or shadow of turning. He establishes His creative order in heaven and descends upon the earth. These works are our gifts from Him to us. If you would just take the time to consider all that God has provided, you would be overwhelmed. The work of creation and of maintaining all things created by Him is worthy of praise, but that praise is not a private and personal expression. It is meant to be proclaimed to all who will hear it. We were not born in this generation by coincidence, for God has brought us and His work together for such a time as this. If this generation is to ever know and understand who fathered all that we presently enjoy, the light of His glory must shine for through us. Much is being lost in this generation, and many people are taking matters into their own hands with the idea that things just appear and circumstances just occur randomly. By God’s design, we are given the privilege of participating in the works of God when we acknowledge what He has already done.
Then comes the declaration where we then declare His mighty acts. The acts of God reference God’s intervention in the affairs of mankind. He can change the climate and reset the atmosphere in an environment where His mighty acts are declared. We are to make the declaration to this generation, and there are words that help us understand its meaning. Ori(gen)—there is a beginning to what was generated. There was a foundation established from its beginning that should be maintained. De(generate)—just as something is generated, if not properly maintained, it will degenerate. Re(generate)—the second chance given to that which has lost its way.
We live in an orphaned society that is a product of a fatherless generation. The criminal element among us is merely symptomatic of what happens when the role of fatherhood is either absent or abandoned. If this generation is to proclaim His praise and declare His mighty works, it requires the father’s heart to be restored to the Father of creation. Then the heart of the fathers restored to the children. Then the glory of the Lord can pass from generation to generation.