He commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them

Psalm 78:2-7 "I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old; Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children..showing to the generation to come, the praises of the Lord, and His strength, and His wonderful works that He hath done. For He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born, who should arise and declare them to their children..that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments"

For as long as I can remember, I have had a burden to pray for coal miners. I know that sounds like a strange statement, but it's true. I never knew why. I just knew that whenever I heard about any type of mining accident, I felt compelled to pray for the trapped miners. One time when we lived in Lodi, some miners were rescued in the middle of the night. They had been trapped for several days, and they were now bringing them up..one by one, in this metal basket, from the depths of the earth. We had church the next morning, and had to be up early, and it was now about 2 am..but I knew I couldn't go to bed until the very last miner was rescued.

I have never known what nationality I was. When I was a kid, I used to ask my parents, and neither of them really knew. They thought we might be Irish..or possibly English. When my sister died several months ago, it seemed it was the last connection to my past, which I really knew very little about.

This weekend, all of that changed. I had an incredible experience on Saturday. I had mentioned to one of my nieces that I was interested in finding out about the genealogy of my family. I was considering Ancestry.com. It turned out that she had already been working on the genealogy of my husband's family, and she invited me over to begin to look into my own. To say that I am thankful to her wouldn't begin to cover it. What I found out on Saturday was life changing.

We were both amazed as we traced back the lineage in my father's family. I didn't know that many of them were farmers. I got to see some actual military documents, and was amazed. Going back even further, I found out that my family had originally come from Scotland, and going back even further than that, I found out that there was even some royalty on my dad's side. It was all pretty amazing. I didn't know that so many records were kept, but my niece was able to trace my dad's side of the family all the way back to 79 A.D.

When we got to my mom's side, I didn't think we would find much. We had been so blessed with finding out so much about my dad..I guess I just wasn't expecting much..but was I ever wrong! I never knew my grandparents. My family moved to California when I was 3 years old. I only remember meeting my grandparents on my dad's side once or twice..and on my mom's side, once. So, I was very amazed to find out my mom's father's occupation. He was a coal miner! I was stunned! All of a sudden, things began to make sense to me. I knew why God had laid it on my heart for years to pray for the men who mine coal, and their families.

But going back even further, I was even more blessed. We all know where we came from. We all know that we came from Adam..but honestly, to see it..to see HOW we came from Adam..and who married who..to bring us into the present, was incredibly amazing to me. My niece was actually able to trace back my grandfather's lineage to Adam! I found out that my family was from the tribe of Levi. I started seeing names pop up like Aaron, Moses, and eventually Seth..and then Adam. I know that my niece's heart had to have been beating as hard as mine was. It was astonishing!

Honestly, I wish everyone had the opportunity that I had on Saturday. I wish all of us could see the family tree..I wish we could all have a glimpse into our family bloodline, and see with our own eyes, where and how God brought us to where we are today. I don't feel like I am anyone special..and yet..in the eyes of God, all of us are special. Each of us are unique to Him. We are fearfully and wonderfully made.

The Lord was clear in the scriptures that we are to make known to our children, and the generations to come His wonderful works! The above verse says that we are to share with them, His strength, and His praises! The reason..is that they might know Him..and that they might set their hope in Him. Fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, this is an important instruction from the Lord. We need to share our testimonies. We need to simply share Christ..with our families and with a lost and dying world.

The experience that I had Saturday changed my life. It cleared up some mysteries for me about my past..it helped me to understand the way I think and function..but more than that, it built hope in me for the future. I have had a sense of being rejuvenated, strengthened..and I am so greatful for the heritage that I now know about..I want to look forward now and pour into the lives of my own son, and my grandson.

If you read all of Psalm 78, you find that the people believed not, in God, and didn't trust in His salvation. Beloved, it is so important to teach your children..to live your life in such a way yourself, that they begin to discover the wonders of Him..simply by watching you. Truthfully, I feel like I have failed to some degree in this endeavor..but I don't believe that God ever sees us as failures. I believe that He simply says that it's never too late.

Today, my prayer for each of you is that you might simply look back at your own life, and see the many ways in which God has carried you, the times that He has been your strength..and your hope..the times that He has provided..and I am hoping that some of you might begin to journal some of these things. Journaling is a great way to remind yourself of the goodness of God..and then above all, I pray that you will teach your children..and that you will share your testimony with someone who needs a ray of hope in their life.

May you blessed today, as you move forward.