JANUARY 2, 2010

IS THERE HOPE FOR THE FAMILY?

Scripture Reading--Psalm 42

Give special attention to verses 5 and 11

Many are wondering if there's hope for the family because of the decline of family values in our 21st century society. Fifty years ago, no one would have been able to conceive of the devastation to family life that's now common in America. In a 1999 issue of Time Magazine, an article titled "Beyond the Year 2000" states the following:

We are fast becoming a homeless race. We are born in hospitals, raised in daycare, married in church, vacation at resorts, entertain friends in restaurants, die in hospitals, and are buried from the funeral parlor. To thousands of families, home is simply a place where family members resort for a minimum of sleep, a quick bite to eat, and wait their turn to use the family car.

What a sad commentary on our way of life! If we listened to historians, sociologists, and media, we would wonder if the family, as we've known it, is on the way out. Thank God, we don't get our information from those voices. The Bible is our source of encouragement and direction.

In today's Scripture, we hear the cry of the spiritually desperate ( vv. 1-2 ), downhearted ( v. 6 ), and disillusioned ( vv. 9-10 ). And that could well describe many of God's people these days. But in the midst of it all, the psalmist knows where to find hope--"Hope thou in God" ( vv. 5, 11 ). With the divorce rate in excess of 50 percent, the future of the family doesn't look good. We must keep looking up because God is our only hope.

This week, we'll be looking at biblical reasons there's hope for the family, even during these difficult days. Yes, we need God to revive our families. He's more than ready to do His work if we'll submit to Him.

PRAYER TIME: Pray this verse. "Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?" ( Ps. 85:6, emphasis added ). Whenever we see revival, we always find rejoicing!

--Jack Palmer--

THRU THE BIBLE IN " 1 " YEAR: Genesis--cc. 3-5