“After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what He had done…” Judges 2:10

We’ve all seen those messages in our email inbox that say: “Delivery Status Failure Notification. Delivery to the following recipient failed permanently.” It means something has prevented the delivery of our message to another recipient.  There can be any number of causes, but the result is still the same—an undelivered message.

Have you ever wondered what caused the delivery status failure noted in Judges 2:10 after Joshua and his generation died? Remember, these were the ones who entered and conquered inhabitants of the land God promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. You would think the stories about God’s amazing power would have been the primary conversation around the tribal bonfires every night.              

Yet somehow delivery of the message to the next generation failed to get through from the previous generation. We don’t know what happened, but we do know this much. That next generation grew up not knowing God or the amazing things He had done for them. Instead, they embraced the godlessness of the culture around them. And as God warned them would be the case, His protection and blessing were removed. The consequences were staggering.

Sounds rather familiar, doesn’t it? Like the generation following Joshua and Caleb, we are a generation wrapped in cultural godlessness and rebellion. Unlike our parents’ generation, the majority of today’s young people are growing up with little knowledge about God or truth. It’s true even in many Christian homes.

Unfortunately, the loss of a truth-based culture and intentional familial discipleship comes with a high price tag. A new generation is growing up without knowing the blessing of hope, purpose and contentment. It’s not hard for us to see the evil in our day, but can the world see the greatness and kindness of God in us? Do our lives make much of Christ in the eyes of the world?

King David, writing of a friend who had betrayed him, said, “He loved to pronounce a curse, and it has come on him; he found no pleasure in blessing, and it is far from him. He wore cursing as his garment; it entered into his body like water, into his bones like oil” (Ps. 109:17-18). What a legacy for a man or woman to leave behind! What will be said of us by the next generations? Will we be known as channels of blessing or a garment of cursing?

The power of blessing is incalculable. Remember that you may be the only source of personal blessing and spiritual influence that your grandchildren, or other children of their generation, will ever know. This would be a good time for our generation to be on our knees seeking God’s wisdom for how we can be effective, intentional conduits of blessing and truth for this generation.

In fact, I would encourage you to seek out other grandparents you know in your church or community and ask them to join you for a time of prayer in just two weeks. Officially, the second Sunday of September is our nation’s Grandparents’ Day. We are calling grandparents to make it a National Grandparents’ Day of Prayer each year. We don’t it be only a one-time event. Our prayer is that those who gather together will continue to meet regularly to pray for each other and their grandchildren. Visit our web site, www.grandparentsdayofprayer.com,  for more information.

GRANDPAUSE: What I believe about God is the most important thing about me. A. W. Tozer