Delight in the Lord!
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This week’s blog post is a special treat, as we get to hear from Scott Vanderform (the teacher at Lofty Mountain Family Camp last summer). Enjoy!
Can I share with you a saying I heard from roughly 2000 years ago that is still true today? It is a saying that has been passed down for generations as something that families need to know. It was passed down to me from my Father and Mother and I am determined to pass it on to my kids as well. Are you ready for it……
“tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done.”
To be honest, this verse from Psalm 78 is not just a saying, it is an instruction coming directly from God himself to us and it is a reminder to all parents of what they are called to do by God. Do you regularly remind your Family of our good God almighty? (Check out Crowders song titled “Good God Almighty” to help get you started). Remember, we are talking about our one true God who has all might and power in His hand and has accomplished so many wonders that if we were paying attention we would constantly be in awe of Him. The point of this psalm is to instruct us to always remember the goodness of God to such a degree that it affects and informs the way our families live. Please hear me, this does not mean we must be doing two hour systematic theology bible studies every day as a family. What I think Asaph (the author of Psalm 78) is getting at when he writes these words is to encourage parents to make sure their families (parents and kids included) are regularly delighting in God.
This does not mean it looks the same for every family. For some it may be a walk in the woods and delighting in God’s creation and allowing it to point our hearts to God. For others it will be singing together. For others still it can be traveling to see the marvels of the world and allowing it to humble us to realize how small we really are in comparison to a God who spoke this world into existence. It could be a regular prayer time where you record your prayers as a family and watch as God answers those prayers in ways only He can, or it could be reading through a book of the bible and listening as God speaks powerfully through his word. There is so much adventure to be had for those who would seek after God with all their heart!
Our problem is we don’t practice regularly reminding ourselves of who our great God is and as such we turn from God to all sorts of idols without even seeing the gradual decline. Again Asaph says families need to regularly keep their eyes on God “so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God,” (Psalm 78:7)
As summer time approaches we tend to give ourselves a bit of an unintentional vacation from our regular disciplines with our Lord and I wanted to send this thought out as a challenge to all of you - parents and young people out there - to find new and creative ways to delight in God this summer instead of putting him to the side while you relax and “enjoy life”. We need to believe with all our hearts that He is our joy and diligently seek Him. In seeking Him you will find true LIFE (John 10:10).
Go chase after God as a family this summer!
Here is a picture of Scott and his family, taken last Fall.