By Ángel López

Psalm 89
I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord, forever;
      with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.
I declare that your steadfast love is established forever;
      your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.
You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
      I have sworn to my servant David:
‘I will establish your descendants forever,
      and build your throne for all generations.’”

When I was a boy, my abuelito (grandfather) taught me how to pray as he was taught by his abuelito a long time ago. Today, I pray with my daughters using almost the same words my abuelito used to pray. My hope and prayer is that my daughters and their children will continue proclaiming God’s faithfulness to the next generations.

When I immigrated to the United States, I brought with me a treasured bundle of memories and stories from past generations. I might not be able to find a physical photograph of my abuelos (grandparents) but it’s their faith in God, the creator of the heavens and the earth, that sticks with me and that I am passing to my daughters. This God of my grandparents is the most tangible gift that I am passing on to my family.

In a world where nothing lasts, this gift is particularly special. An ancient building may collapse from an earthquake, and the city is forever changed. When a flood hits, rising water erases the work of generations of human hands. Loved ones are here one day and gone the next. Or consider the computer: a new model makes the previous model look old and out of fashion. Things come and go, and there is a constant fight between our present and future. We find ourselves in a frantic race with time and with ourselves.

But God does not become obsolete. The psalmist has a realistic view of the past, the present, and the future, and he reminds us that God’s love is as firm as the heavens, is faithful to every generation, and will be so forever and ever.

Prayer: God of our grandparents and God of our children’s children, we proclaim your faithfulness throughout the earth.

Ángel López is an RCA minister serving in Holland, Michigan.