A Prayer to Help Future Generations Come to Know the Lord
By Rachael Adams
Bible Reading:
"This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD—a lasting ordinance" (Exodus 12:14).
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We called her “Munder” because when my siblings and I were first learning to talk, we couldn’t pronounce all the syllables in “grandmother.” She lived several hours away, and I always looked forward to visiting her, especially during the holidays. More than anything else, I remember how spending time with her made me feel loved and cared for. I was her only granddaughter, and so I think that brought about an extra special connection between us.
One of the things I remember most was the meals and treats Munder made. She grew raspberries along her fence, and my brothers and I would help her pick them. With these raspberries, Munder made jelly, which she spread on thin French pancakes called crepes. She rolled the crepes into a flute shape and sprinkled them with powdered sugar. To this day, every time I eat a raspberry or a crepe, I think of her.
Munder has since gone to be with the Lord. It’s amazing how little things make me remember her, especially the holiday traditions she passed on to us that she learned from her own mother. Since she passed, my family has tried to include many of Munder’s recipes on our menu. I’m grateful that I have her handwritten recipe cards so I can replicate her specialties for my family. It makes me feel like I’m still with her in the kitchen. No holiday is complete unless nutmeg logs, snickerdoodles, and nighty-night cookies are on the dessert table.
It’s not just Munder’s jelly, crepes, and cookies that have been passed down through the generations. It is the importance she placed on gathering as a family, having meaningful conversations, using every activity as an opportunity for connection, and sharing the Christian faith. While our festivities usually involved food, decorations, and presents, the Lord was at the center of our celebrations. This is what tradition can do.
God himself instituted certain holidays and traditions. In the Old Testament, he established several annual holidays for celebration, fellowship, and worship. He placed the Passover, the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Offering of Firstfruits, the Festival of Weeks, the Festival of Trumpets, the Festival of Tabernacles, and the Day of Atonement on Israel’s calendar (Leviticus 23; Numbers 28-29). These holidays provided a time for the Israelites to refresh themselves and renew their commitment to God. During these feasts, family members of all ages were reminded of his work in their lives. But tradition for tradition’s sake is just another ritual. The true heart of these traditions lies in our connection to God and those around us.
This was true in biblical times and remains true today. Holidays and traditions serve as annual reminders of what God has done, and they provide us with opportunities to connect with others. It’s essential to establish traditions in our families to serve as reminders for older generations and offer learning experiences for younger ones.
Do you have any traditions, special dates, activities, or places that help you commemorate significant events in your life? Especially those events where God has done something for you? While traditions often revolve around important events, such as the birth and resurrection of Jesus, they can also serve to celebrate personal moments—the little things that maybe only you would recognize, such as how God answered a specific prayer, supplied your need, or made Himself incredibly known to you.
As evidenced by Scripture, God cares about our connection with him and with others, and we can choose to continue time-honored traditions. Consider what heritage you want to pass down to your family and the significance your customs hold. How can you tell others of God’s faithfulness by creating a new tradition of your own or by continuing a tradition that was passed on to you? Whatever traditions you and I practice, I pray that they are rooted in biblical truth and keep God at the forefront so that future generations can connect with Him and with each other. Because if there is anything worth passing on, it is him.
Let’s Pray:
Lord,
I want to honor you with my life and pass my faith down to future generations. I’m grateful for the generations who have gone before me, who have led such a beautiful example for me to follow. Thank you for creating traditions and holidays to commemorate special events. You are worthy of our celebration. May I keep your traditions alive so future generations will know of your greatness as well as your goodness. Help me to create new traditions to remember your provision and mark moments of your faithfulness. I want to see even the everyday moments as an event to celebrate.
Amen.
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