Passing Faith to the Next Generation

“After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel” (Judges 2:10).  In families, a generation is from 20-40 years, during which time a lot can happen. Life happens and marriages and births are celebrated, jobs create a daily rhythm, illness and accidents consume resources and time, and in the middle of each situation, faith is passed on and thrives, or faith dries up and is soon forgotten.  Life is so daily and pressing, and we can’t assume the next generation will know about God and his faithfulness unless we make it a point tell them. This goes for our homes and churches and an important point as we minister to children in the Middle East.    

Some families we work with in the Middle East are from a traditional Christian background. Questions about God come up like, why does he allows bad things to happen, does he answer prayers, and, how can I find forgiveness and peace?  Many of the same questions you and I have asked at some point. Others, from a Muslim background have questions on faith from their perspective. It’s a joy to share God’s answers to these questions and to see their sparks of hunger and thirst for knowing God grow.  We’re reminded that humility is key to sharing our faith, and in doing so, our teams are growing in their faith, and as are we.    

As the children learn about who God is, his characteristics, who the Holy Spirit is, the works of Christ, how to pray, among other things, they are especially tuned in to the faithfulness of God.  Why is that?  Because instability has been everywhere in their short lives as a result of war. They’ve witnessed kidnappings, beheadings, beatings and rapes. They already know life is brutal and people cruel and undependable. 

But they are excellent at observation. They observe those who keep on coming back and helping their families month after month and year after year. They see the consistent love in action our teams demonstrate to them and this is one of the keys God is using to soften their hearts. This along with their resiliency opens the doors to healing.

If you’ve prayed for and sponsored a child or donated to this ministry, this is where you come in. Your steadfastness is part of what God is using to draw these children to himself. We are seeing this miracle of faith happen over and over. In fact we’re working on how we can share more of these stories on social media so you can read about them! God is using us together to bring comfort, provision, love and faith to these children. These children are the future of the Middle East and we know without a shadow of a doubt that God will change the future of this region through this next generation.  Another full circle of faith! 

How are we passing faith in the Middle East? By allowing the truth of the Bible to dwell in our hearts, discipling and training others who then teach others (II Timothy 2:2).  Genuine trust in God in spite of failures and our imperfections.  God’s love in action; what amazing grace!