DAY 14 – The Church of the Future

“May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the LORD grant all your requests” (Psalm 20:4–5).

“You have granted him the desire of his heart and have not withheld the request of his lips” (Psalm 21:2).

“I call with all my heart; answer me, O LORD, and I will obey your decrees” (Psalm 119:145).

“We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done. He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands” (Psalm 78:4–7).

“For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants” (Isaiah 44:3).

How to Pray: With the Whole Heart –

Prayer for future generations is crucial, and God desires to answer our supplications. He lives to hear and grant every petition with regard to souls and their eternal destiny. Each time we pray, the whole infinite God is there to hear us. He asks, as well, that in each prayer we pray, the whole person will be there too; that we will cry unto Him with our whole heart. Christ gave himself to God for us, and so He takes very seriously our call to Him for help. If once we seek God with our whole heart, we will see the difference between this and perfunctory, ritualistic prayers. The whole heart will be in every prayer with which we come to God. Pray with your whole heart for those who will follow us.

What to Pray: For the Church of the Future –

We must pray for the generations who will follow us. Unless faith in the person who is the Word of God (Jesus), the knowledge of the character of God, and the message of the Gospel are taught to our children and our children’s children, what will come of the generations that follow? We can pray with relative ease for our own children, but we must think too of the young children in our churches, our schools, our neighborhoods, and pray for them and all their teachers and instructors and leaders at work among them; that whatever they do, Christ may be honored and the Holy Spirit gain entrance into their lives. The future of the church and the nations depend on it.