Psalm 71:15, 18 My mouth will tell of your righteousness,
of your salvation all day long,
though I know not its measure.
Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, O God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your might to all who are to come.

This Psalm has no attribution, but the author obviously had a long and close relationship with God. The thing that stands out to me in verse 15 is that we don’t have to know everything about God to talk about Him – even talk about Him all the time! Japanese in particular seem to want to know everything about Christianity before “entering the religion,” to use their phrase. However, we cannot know every-thing about God by very definition, since He is infinite and we are finite. I’m reminded of something my father said frequently in evangelistic situations: “Give all you know of yourself to all you know of Christ.” We don’t know everything about ourselves, much less about Christ, but that shouldn’t paralyze us. Likewise, not knowing everything shouldn’t keep us from sharing what we do know. That’s where verse 18 comes in, because the current generation of Christians needs to share what they know of Christ, or there might not be another generation. It is a beautiful thing to see faith communicated from generation to generation within a family, but this certainly isn’t limited to that. “All who are to come” isn’t limited to blood kin! The history of Israel and Judah is filled with examples, both good and bad, of such intergenerational communication, or the lack of it. What it all boils down to is, let others know what You know of God, so that they can have a head start in learning more and more of Him.

As I am reminded frequently, I am the product of many physical generations of people who knew and loved God, and I have benefited greatly from that. However, if I fail to communicate what I have received, through my ancestors as well as directly from the Lord, I will have to answer for it. As Jesus said, we are responsible for all we receive, and I have received much. (Luke 12:48) At the same time, I am not responsible for how others receive what I offer them freely. I am to speak the truth in love and never in pride, as clearly and in context as possible, but what they do with what they hear is their business. That can be a hard one, emotionally. I so want others to know the loving Savior I know, and when they reject Him it can be very painful for me. However, I must not let that stop me from telling them about Him! I must commit myself and my hearers to God, and trust Him with the outcome.

Father, thank You for the privilege of telling others about You. It is a joy, especially when they receive what I say gladly. I pray that by the power of Your Spirit I would be more and more effective in communicating the good news of Your kingdom, both to those who are not yet saved and to those who are growing in faith. May I also continue to grow in knowledge and faith, so that I will always have a fresh supply for those to whom You send me, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!