“He who has ears, let him hear. To what can I compare this generation?” – Matthew 11:15-16a
I am burdened for the next generation. In working with the next generation in a church and in a Christian school setting, I am allowed front door access to peer into the next generation’s relationship with God. I realize my view is limited by geography and a host of other factors, but I believe what is happening in my environment are not isolated incidents and are happening on a grander scale in other environments.
When it comes to the next generation’s relationship with God, the next generation encounters distractions from every angle. The enemy doesn’t want the next generation to spend time with God, whether that comes in the form of private or public Bible study, prayer, or worship. The enemy will do whatever he can to keep families out of church and the enemy will do whatever he can to break the family unit up. I believe the devil is unleashing a holy hell on society because he knows his time is short. He knows he is a defeated foe and desires to take everyone down with him that he can.
Besides the enemy’s work, society presents enough distractions itself. The next generation is inundated with marketing techniques and ploys to buy the next great gadget. The next generation then spends excessive time on these devices, being consumed by the images and messages that lie within. In the meantime, face to face relationships suffer as people lose contact with reality while online relationships often create havoc in the virtual and in the real world. Consequently, Christ-followers can spend more time worrying about themselves than they do thinking about how best to build God’s kingdom on earth. In other words, spiritual priorities can get out of whack as the minors take over the major.
However, I think the greatest obstacle standing in the next generation’s relationship with God is the next generation’s unwillingness to let God talk. The postmodern mindset poses a problem in this communication task, but the postmodern mindset is not the only problem. The prominent issue at hand is the ability to quiet oneself to hear what the Spirit is speaking. Noise and busyness is the norm in the life of the next generation. I often notice that when God is speaking to the next generation, the next generation is often found talking above God (or playing on their phones). In other words, the next generation cannot hear God because they are too loud or they have not learned how to act under authority. Discipline comes into play at this point but the enactment of discipline still may not be enough. The intervention of spiritual disciplines such as silence and solitude help but do not provide an immediate fix.
Listening is a practice and listening takes practice. Jesus said to seven churches in Revelation 2-3, “He who has an ear, let him hear.” Quieting down to hear the message is only the first step. Listening is not the same as hearing. Once God’s message is heard and listened to, the next generation can then step out in faith and obey. Lou Holtz, the famous football coach at Notre Dame was right when he said God gave you two ears and one mouth so you would listen twice as much as you talk. I think God does have a message for the next generation. Can you hear it?