“Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12 NLT
Jesus made it very clear during his ministry that children are welcome at His table. Paul loved Timothy dearly and greatly valued him as a disciple, although he was young. Children are used throughout the Bible to teach God’s people about His faithfulness, His kindness, and His mercy. Because of this, I fully believe that the next generation is equipped and called to live a life marked by grace. Young people bring an energy and zeal to the church body that is necessary for growth. Bright, growing minds are a gift to the Kingdom! If all people reflect the face of God, and all people are individual parts of one body, then we must believe that young people – from young children all the way into young professionals – have an important role to play in God’s desire to bring heaven on earth. There are two key values that young people bring to the church and two important reasons for the church to invite them to stay and take their shoes off: first, young people teach us about God’s character and remind us of the importance of change; second, young people need direction and young people need prayer. If we, as a body of believers, lean into these truths, the Spirit will use our obedience to further the Kingdom and draw us nearer to the throne.
Young people teach us about God’s character because all people are made in His image. Psalm 1 says that the person who delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on His word is “like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither” Psalm 1:3 NIV. A tree planted by streams of water, whether a young sapling or an oak of righteousness, is good in the sight of the Lord. When the younger generation is rooted in the Word, they reflect the image of God more rightly. Their hearts will be filled with compassion, their words will be marked by justice, and their lives will point others to the Father. To see the face of God in the eyes of a young person is a gift!
Because the world we are growing up in is different from the world older generations experienced, young people remind us of the importance of change. This generation is witnessing firsthand the hardships of 2022 because we are still learning who we are and who we are called to be. We have to embrace change because it is our lives. For older generations, change can be more difficult to notice and to celebrate because it is no longer the standard. As the world changes, the church must be ready to equip believers to disciple and witness to the lost. God and His promises never change, but people do.
While young people have an integral role in building the church up, they must also be supported. Young people need direction. Wisdom comes with age, patience with time. These characteristics of the Father can only be cultivated by the Spirit as He molds and shapes His followers. So many young believers are praying diligently for the Father to send them a mentor who can come alongside them and rally them on to fight the good fight. Relationships like this are a gift from heaven, both for younger and older generations. We need to be equipped to one day lead, and that discipline is made and encouraged by the direction of older, more mature believers. Even still, many youth do not know what it looks like to get to know Jesus intimately. Through the guidance of spiritual mothers and fathers, along with the work of the Holy Spirit, the younger generations can come to know their Creator as a friend!
Most importantly, young people need prayer! Hebrews 12:1-2 says that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who share our burdens and help us run the race with perseverance. The older generations in the church are that great cloud of witnesses! The middle schoolers, high schoolers, college students, and young professionals are all walking through stages of life that older generations have experienced. James 5:16 says that the prayer of a righteous person is valuable to God! Shouldn’t our oaks of righteousness be interceding for the youth, begging God to make them more like Him and use them to grow the kingdom? They should and they do! Because of the fervent prayers of the older generations, the youth are surrounded by a hedge of protection and can better serve the Father.
Hallelujah to the Father that I see evidence of all generations working together in the church already. It is such a gift to learn from one another through tension and love and trial and error. I pray that older generations and younger generations alike would be encouraged by the way that we learn from one another in tandem and experience the love of Christ all the same.
Father, you are good and you are holy. It is your name on my lips, your feet are where I bow. Thank you for creating a generation that bears your image so clearly – a generation full of compassion, full of desire to understand, to listen, and to grow. I trust you with them. I believe that your kingdom is coming and I am excited to see the role they play in glorifying your great name. I come to you today to ask that you would send shepherds into their lives to take their compassion and redirect it to the lost. I pray that you would send spiritual mothers and fathers who would teach our generation that understanding comes from you, because you are the most patient listener. I pray that you would use mentors and friends to point them to the word, because the truth is what nurtures our growth. I pray that your Spirit would move in the hearts of this generation and in the hearts of those raising this generation so that we might continue to see miracle-working power on the earth. Thank you for the future of the church. Please protect their bodies, their hearts, and their souls. Draw them near to you, forgive them, and give them a desire to know you more intimately. Thank you for hearing my prayers, for listening intently, and for calling it done. I trust you. I love you. I praise you.
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