O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us the work that You did in their days, in the days of old. (Psalms 44:1, NASB)
In 2014, The Open Championship (the British Open to many Americans) was played at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake in northwest England. You may have heard of Liverpool because of a band by the name of The Beatles who were associated with the town. Liverpool itself is actually over the Mersey River from the golf course, which might give you a reason (if you are in the city) to Ferry Cross the Mersey. But I digress…
I must put in their ears that God is completely reliable and trustworthy.During that Open Championship there was a short TV feature in which several of the players were asked if they could name The Beatles. Most of the players could name no more than one of “the Fab Four,” and only one player, who happened to be from England and a bit older, could name them all.
To those players The Beatles belonged to a time that might have been called “the days of old,” and their fathers had not told them about their works. But these were golfers, not musicians, and my guess is that they knew well the names of Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, both of whom were winning tournaments while The Beatles were making music. Most of us have a sense of history for the areas we are involved in, perhaps because we hope to one day become a part of it.
What do I tell today’s children of the work that God has done in my days? What do their ears hear about the days of old? Do I use the opportunity to tell of the glory I once achieved so I can elevate myself in their eyes, or do I tell them of the work that God did in my lifetime? Do I even know?
As Psalm 44 continues, it is clear that the writers (the sons of Korah) have been inspired by what they heard of God’s work. Now they will rely on God rather than their own might, just as their forefathers did. Verse 6 says, “For I will not trust in my bow, nor will my sword save me.” How different that is from the self-reliance we inadvertently teach when we sing of our own exploits.
I am convinced—and convicted—that as a “father” I must be telling today’s young people of the work that God has done in my days, in the days of old. I must put in their ears that God is completely reliable and trustworthy, and to depend on anyone else, including oneself, is folly. One day I want the people I have the opportunity to speak to now to rise up and praise God for the work he has done and to put their trust in him because they know what he has done.
If you leave a legacy, may it be this: that you have told of the work that God did in the days of old. Let them hear, and let them remember that.
—
Lewis Greer
March 8, 2016
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.