On the Shoulders of GiantsBeispiel

Grieving and Believing Together

One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. -Psalm 145:4

Grief hovered over my grandmother’s home. I was 11 when my uncle was killed during the 1967 Detroit riots.

That day, my grandmother didn’t cry in front of us. For years, she cried herself to sleep at night. In her pain, she clung to Scripture about God preparing a home for us in heaven (John 14:1–3). She shared with us that her faith was grounded in God’s promise of eternal life.

Fifty years after the riots, my aunt shared details of God’s work in her own life. Three generations gathered in my aunt’s Detroit home as she narrated what happened to her oldest brother. The youngest generation had only heard bits and pieces about their great-uncle’s death.

She shared how the tragedy led her to question God about why her brother died unjustly, and how she resented the police because they didn’t protect him. She also shared how she experienced God’s comfort and faithfulness. In her pain, her faith grew from reading the Word and prayer, and our faith grew from hearing her testimony.

Intergenerational testifying is the wisdom of Psalm 145! Every generation of my family embodies God’s call for one generation to tell of God’s faithfulness to the next (v. 4). We share about God’s faithfulness to us even amid the injustices and trials we continue to see and experience.

Even in our pain, God’s Word and promises remain true.

Roslyn Yilpet

God is faithful in every generation.

Father God, may we always proclaim Your faithfulness, even in our pain.