Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.

 

“So then banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 11:10)

What are we holding onto? In Ecclesiastes, the Teacher goes down every path that is outside of God and finds that pursuit of it in meaningless. He is saying that even having a youthful appearance or having vigor like a young person are meaningless outside of God. If they are the one thing we pursue, we will find them empty and vain. The conclusion, “’Meaningless! Meaningless!’ Says the Teacher. ‘Everything is meaningless!’” (Ecclesiastes 12:8)

We sometimes go down rabbit trails that take us off course. Rather than being led by the Spirit, we are led by our fears or personal desires. But the Lord promises that when we continually look to Him, He will light up the right path to take. He will even give us the desire and power to do what pleases Him (Philippians 2:23).

For years, fear dictated my actions. I had so much anxiety and it just grew as I continued to feed it. I longed for a place of safety and security but it alluded me. This is because I did not know Christ. Even when I did come to know Him, it took years to unwind the fear and anxiety. It still led my actions for many years in people pleasing and seeking security over listening to His voice.

Whatever we feed and put as a priority over God will grow in our lives. We will sow to the wind and reap a whirlwind. We don’t want to feed fear by letting our imaginations take us down an unhealthy path of fearing disaster at every turn. Or, open to the door to it by immersing ourselves in sensationalized information that is designed to create fear. When we open the door and feed our fears, they grow.

Often our news sensationalizes information in a way to create fear, apprehension, anger, offense, and frustration. They will tell you all these things that you have to be afraid of and then imply that the answer lies in ‘staying informed’ by them of course. They imply they have the answers. Yet, what answers do they ever provide? Whoever immersed in these sensationalized reports ever grows in peace?

We see this especially with our youth. As they are wired into technology and sensationalized reports try to grab their attention at every turn. You can’t Google something without having a few sensationalized and sensualized reports grab you eye. I find I can struggle with being distracted by certain sensationalized headlines and pictures at times myself. I am going along and something catches my eye. I am like ‘what?!’ then I click on it and it is all darkness and gossip.

Like the youth that inherited Babylon rather than the Promised land, our youth have been cheated out of a peaceful environment where they can feel secure and safe. There is something looming at every turn. In praying for them, my sense is many hold some inner resentment.

For the most part, prior generations have had a lack of responsibility for future generations. Generations have overlooked making changes that would benefit later generations due to cost or inconvenience. A little like Hezekiah who said the difficulty that would be coming from Babylon is good because he would be long gone and wouldn’t personally experience, we fail to take responsibility for the future.

We have heard and know that because of our lack of care, generations following would be hindered with pollution, global warming and a thinner ozone layer. But instead of stopping our direction, we have denied the issues to some extent and pushed the problems forward to future generations to deal with.

We have closed our eyes to an extent and continued to use our resources (and allowing others to use up resources) in a way that has hindered future generations. We have made some adjustments but it has been a slow turn and only because of seeing consequences.

Our young people are inheriting the fruit of over use and abuse of the world we walk on. With pollution and growing global warming and catastrophes, mental health issues growing along with worry and feeling less hopeful. Our youth have higher apprehension, stress and anxiety than any other generation before them. They may feel like there is no place to find peace.

They are frequently filled with anxiety and fear from all the news that floods their lives. Most news is not positive. As a result, overall, our youth have also grown in mistrust, inner, unexpressed resentment and bitterness for their portion of what has been handed to them. Most of them do not see themselves in inheriting the best of the land but the difficult problems we avoided and failed to solve.

We see this come out in the choices they make. Like the generation frustrated with the Vietnam war and what seemed to be senseless deaths, they are not following previous generations but turning away from them and rebelling as they make their own way. They have mashed everything from marriage, large institutions, 9-5 work schedules, clean looks, church, defined sexuality, owning a home, and wholesomeness to napkins. What is their problem with napkins?!

The movie, “Ready, Player One” captured this thought of the world deteriorating around people and a need to escape the world into further electronics. Probably why it was so popular is that it caught the underlying thinking of this young generation. They want to find genuine greatness and goodness but don’t even know where to start looking. They feel their world is crumbling so they have turned from the generation that has went before them with mistrust and resentment.

To an extent, this is the curse that was spoken of in Malachi 4:6, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

Yet, the answer has always been held in the Word of God. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

Healing our land has to do with removing the curse. It is not only reversing the effects that are in front of us and are being experienced by so many of our youth but bringing them peace. Our only answer has always been only the Lord. Like restoring marriages, families, health, and hope, the Lord hold all in His hands.

With flashmobs, riots, smoking weed, and binary sexuality, the world is crazy. I recently read a book by David Wilkerson, called “Fire in Your Bones” where he had spoken years ago of the riots, flash mobs, fears, and burnings that would happen before the return of Christ. At the time, very few wanted to listen to his warnings back then as they didn’t want to make changes and press in for Christ to bring healing and provision before it happened.

These days, there is plenty for the news to sensationalize. It is not hard to create fear. One may wonder if things can be turned around at all with our youth. But we see this in a previous generation and the Jesus people movement. I don’t think it is any coincidence that the Jesus Revelation Movie came out the time it did. There is something we can learn from this previous generation.

They thought all the youth were lost. They had dropped out and were using drugs and sleeping together in communal environments. Love and peace took on a new name as they were associated with a drugged up state of having sex. The youth had rebelled from the world’s systems and the prior generations.

But God turned it all around. As he came in a powerful movement, the youth were changed and transformed before their very eyes. While they may have been doing it different, they were doing the right things that honored God. They were gathered up in His love. They were not forgotten or left behind.

As it was then, it is now. So many of our youth are a mess. But they are not beyond hope. God has plans and purposes for them. It has been prophesied that we will see another Jesus revolution. I would love to see the Lord shift our youth into confident taking of the land just like in the 60s and 70s.

The only answer for our youth in the increasing pressure and confusion is to turn to the Lord. When they are feeling afraid, frustrated, resentful or bitter, they need to turn to the Word of God not to the news. Paul says in Romans 8:6 (NLT), “So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.” There is peace and life for our youth in the Word of God and they need to find it. It may be in their own way but we need to press in for them to be established.

Here is the finish line for all generations: Fear the Lord and possess the land (Deuteronomy 5:33). Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 says something similar, “Now all has been heard here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgement, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”

It is not all up to the young people. Like Hezekiah who looked out for himself at the end rather the legacy he left, we need to repent of not caring enough for the future generations. Whenever Jesus returns, we don’t want to absolve ourselves of responsibility as if we are not our brother’s keeper. We are to cast off our troubles but not our responsibility.

However, when God speaks of bringing every deed into judgment, the Hebrew word for judgement here is mishpat, Strongs #H5477. It means justice or prescribed specification. I love to think that what is meant here is that God will eventually bring all things into alignment with His Kingdom. He will have the final say in pouring out His Spirit and bringing forth His Kingdom.

Lord, we long to see the day that Your Kingdom fully comes forth. We know the best is yet to come. Help us to quicken the day by our prayers and seeking You. Let our Youth not flounder in fear but experience Your goodness in the land of the living.