Don't Drop the Reins
SCRIPTURE
"All that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel. Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals, and they forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt..."
— Judges 2:10–12 (NASB95)
COWBOY WISDOM
There's a phrase that runs through the book of Genesis like a fence line across open country: "These are the generations of." Again and again, Scripture traces the line of God's purposes through families — father to son, mother to daughter, generation to generation. When God wants to accomplish something great, His plan is almost always to do it through faithful people who pass something real and lasting down to those who come after them. That's not just Old Testament theology — that is the design woven into the fabric of creation itself.
Which makes the account in Judges 2 one of the saddest passages in all of Scripture. Joshua's generation had seen it all. They had walked through the parted waters of the Red Sea on dry ground (Exodus 14:21-22), eaten bread that rained down from heaven (Exodus 16:4), and crossed the Jordan River on dry land into the Promised Land. They had seen miracles that defied every natural explanation. And yet, despite all they had witnessed, they dropped the reins. They handed off to the next generation — and handed off nothing. The generation that followed "did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel" (Judges 2:10). That is a generational tragedy.
The lesson for us today could not be more urgent. Nobody is born knowing Jesus. Faith must be passed down. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 commands parents to talk about the commandments of God when they sit in their house, when they walk by the way, when they lie down, and when they rise up. Discipleship isn't a program you drop your kids off for — it's a way of life you live in front of them. The church has your children about 1% of their time. The school has them around 18%. The home has them 81% of the time. That math tells us exactly where the primary responsibility for spiritual formation lies — and it lies with parents and grandparents.
Don't drop the reins. Pray with your children. Read them Scripture. Tell them what God has done in your life. Bring them to church — not just send them. Your presence communicates what your words alone never could. The next generation is watching. They are learning from you what God is like, whether faith is real, and whether Jesus is worth following. Ride with intention — because the trail you blaze today will be the one your children and grandchildren ride tomorrow.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
How did the faith (or lack of faith) of the generation before you shape your own spiritual life? What did they pass down — or fail to pass down?
In what practical, everyday ways are you currently passing your faith in Jesus to the children or younger people in your life?
Joshua's generation "dropped the reins." What do you think caused that failure, and what specific steps can you take to make sure it doesn't happen in your family?
If the home is responsible for 81% of a child's faith formation, what is one change you could make this week in how faith is practiced in your household?
PRAYER FOCUS
Father, I don't want to be a generation that drops the reins. I don't want those who come after me to grow up not knowing You and not knowing the work You have done. So I ask You today for the courage, the intentionality, and the wisdom to pass down a living, vibrant faith. Help me to make Jesus the center of my home — not just in words but in the rhythms of our daily life. Give me creative ways to tell the stories of Your faithfulness to the children and young people in my world. And Lord, for every parent and grandparent who feels like they've already failed — give them grace and a fresh start. It's never too late to begin again. In Jesus' name, Amen.
