Focus Passage: Psalm 78:4-7 NASB
“4 We will not conceal them from their children,
But we will tell the generation to come the praises of the Lord,
And His power and His wondrous works that He has done.
5 For He established a testimony in Jacob,
And appointed a law in Israel,
Which He commanded our fathers
That they were to teach them to their children,
6 So that the generation to come would know, the children yet to be born,
That they would arise and tell them to their children,
7 So that they would put their confidence in God
And not forget the works of God,
But comply with His commandments,”
Eugene Peterson is famously quoted to say, “A long obedience in the same direction is the essence of the Christian life.” Although I have heard this quote several times over the years, it has continued to pop up in my thoughts over the last few weeks. After walking with Jesus for several decades, I know this isn’t random. It’s the Holy Spirit bringing this truth to my thoughts because it’s the next direction He wants me to take in 2026. Nothing is random with the Lord.
This “long obedience in the same direction” is actually what Psalm 78 calls us to: passing God’s truths faithfully to the next generation. That’s the legacy we are called to build.
To help us wrap our minds around what a “long obedience in the same direction” practically looks like, here are some of the ways I have seen this play out:
- Worshipping the Lord, reading His word, and praying to Him even when our situation doesn’t make sense or doesn’t change in the way we would hope (Psalm 78: 7).
- Praising the Lord’s wondrous works, giving Him the glory and credit when He does answer our prayers with the outcome we hoped for or better than we could have hoped for (Psalm 78:4).
- Patience with ourselves and our children as the Holy Spirit continues to work on the same skill or character trait we are still developing (parenting continues to show me how patient the Lord is with me as my Heavenly Father) (Psalm 78: 5-6).
- Seeing how our family rhythms shape both this season and for years to come (Psalm 78:6).
- Cultivating a faith-filled family mission and how this shapes who we are as individuals (Psalm 78:6).
In each of these facets, I see that our faith journeys really are years (and Lord willing decades) of “a long obedience in the same direction.” This is how we can pass along a godly legacy to our children, nieces, nephews, and grandchildren, for years to come. As we encounter the Lord in different seasons, we see how His faithfulness in the past helps give us confidence and builds our trust that He will continue to be faithful in our current and future seasons. Sometimes we just need the space to slow down and process how He continues to show His faithfulness and apply this to future situations.
This year on the blog, I want to share some ways the Lord continues to teach me about intergenerational legacy. As I prayed about the next direction, I realized that learning from and authentically doing life with different generations has made our family’s life so rich in this season.
As an extended family, we have carefully set aside weekly meals and time together. Whether it’s Friday pizza nights at Mom’s, Sunday fried chicken at Grandma Mabel’s, or Monday dinners with my husband’s parents, I treasure each of these weekly dinners, because I can see how each person from the youngest cousin at 7 to my grandma at almost 93 has an essential role to encourage, bring joy, listen, and give us needed wisdom as we process life. We are so fortunate to have parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins who love the Lord and have personally walked out “long obedience in the same direction.” These weekly meals are more than just get-togethers; they are faith infusers.
The beautiful thing about spiritual legacy is that it’s not built only through genetic or marriage relations, but also through the family of God. Another one of my favorite parts of the week is our Wednesday night ladies’ Bible study group. This group continues to grow and embraces ladies in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s (we would gladly welcome ladies beyond their 70s!). Here, women who are spiritual mothers, daughters, and grandmothers embody the generational chain described in Psalm 78:6—those who have followed the Lord through decades, teaching those who are just beginning their faith journeys, creating a living legacy of faith. This group unites over our love for the Lord and desire to grow deeper in faith together. I love how each lady carves out time each week to share authentically, pray for one another, and ask questions as we dig deeper. We pray for each other, our kids, nieces and nephews, and grandkids. We come from different backgrounds, professions, and faith journeys, but the Lord has united us in our desire to know Him more. We have been going strong for the last year and a half, and I am so excited to look back with this group of women and trace how the Lord has shaped our families through this special weekly time together.
So this year on the blog, I want to bring you some of these intergenerational experiences to share how the Lord is teaching us to cultivate generations of faith for our families and friends. With each post, we’ll explore a different aspect of legacy-building—from family traditions to faith milestones to wisdom passed between generations.
My prayer is that it will also help you, dear friend, in documenting your own legacy of faith within your families. I welcome you to share your own intergenerational wisdom and blessings. I would also love to feature your testimony of the Lord’s faithfulness on an upcoming blog this year! Let’s ask the Lord to open our spiritual eyes to see the ways that He is working throughout our families, faith communities, workplaces, and our children’s activities. What legacy are you building that will help the next generation ‘put their confidence in God’ (v.7)?
Together, let’s make 2025 a year we intentionally craft legacies that will echo through generations.
Lord, we ask You to open our eyes to see how we can continue to gain wisdom and share the things You are teaching us. Help us see that obedience isn’t a one-time decision, but a long obedience in the same direction. Even when we don’t see the fruit of what we are hoping to achieve, help us see glimpses of the small ways You are changing us to be more like You. Help this year be one that we intentionally build legacies in our families that point to You and make You the center of our families. In Jesus’ name, Amen
Peterson, Eugene H. A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society. IVP Books, 1980.
The Living Legacy 