Does the Bible speak to young people not listening to their elders?
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
Q: I’m a baby boomer caught between the greatest generation and Generation X. My generation is in a quandary of how its children don’t understand how to get through the next hour without an iPhone in hand, caught up with hoping the government forgives their student loans while they seek to buy their “dream home” at age 30. They don’t want to hear older people share what they’ve learned during hard times when society battled economic and moral failures. Does the Bible speak to this great divide? – T.G.
A: Someone once said, “Wise counsel to the younger is the duty of the aged.” While people cannot make others seek the wisdom of the aged, the elderly should speak out for the truth and pray the Lord will open ears, minds, and hearts to what wisdom has to say. And the Bible has a great deal to say to every generation.
In the day that Israel was experiencing economic ruin, the prophet Joel declared, “Hear this, you elders, and give ear … has anything like this happened in your days, or even in the days of your fathers? Tell your children about it, let your children tell their children, and their children another generation. (Joel 1:2–3, NKJV). The prophet is reminding the experienced, older generation to recall times past when they had gone through similar calamities and how, when they turned back to God, He faithfully restored them.
How often do the elderly gather to teach the young what they learned during similar times? The Bible speaks of men and women who made a profound impact on generations that followed. And today, their words live on.
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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)
©2024 Billy Graham Literary Trust. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
(c)2024 BILLY GRAHAM DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
