Psalm 135 - When I Need to Tell My Story

Summer in the Psalms

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Families tell stories. We gather around the table laugh about the times when so-and-so said that funny and unexpected thing, when another did that brave thing, and when so-and-so scared us senseless but it all worked out in the end.

Indeed, there's a glue which bonds families together and it has no respect for blood relation, for sometimes these families start out as acquaintances then build into friendship, then by God's grace, are forged into brotherhood and sisterhood. No matter how these "families" are formed, the glue which holds us together is story-telling. It's stickiness is determined by the laughter and tears the story holds.

The stories with enduring stickiness keep even those who have passed away close and connected. Their memory and their courage, their faith lives on and shape those who hear their story. One generation learns from another.

Today, a good friend of mine, Samantha Decker, is sharing her reflection of Psalm 135 with us and reminding us of the most important stories we need to tell and retell and then tell again to our children and then teach them to tell to their children and their children's children. May God's ever-lasting faithfulness become the bonding agent of our lives.

Samantha Decker is a wife, mom, Bible teacher, author of "Unhurried", speaker, and above all, a follower of Jesus. She is passionate about encouraging believers to deepen their walk with Jesus through discipleship relationships and an unrelenting love for the Word of God. She and her husband, Dustin, live in Oklahoma and enjoy serving in their local church, trying new restaurants (especially if it’s Tex-Mex), and adventuring with their three rambunctious boys and baby girl. You can connect with her on Instagram or by signing up for her newsletter at samanthadeckerwrites.com.

As a mom of four young children, I often find myself wondering what, exactly, my husband and I are passing down to them. They clearly have their Daddy’s eyes and my unforgiving cowlicks, but what are the traits that will stick? What stories will mark their lives? What will they remember when they’re grown and telling their own kids about “when I was little”?

Sometimes I think about this in the most ordinary moments like when all four are piled on the couch, elbows digging into ribs, someone shouting, “Scoot over!” Or at bedtime, when one of them asks for “just one more story” and I can feel myself melting because I know these days are fleeting. There’s something about parenting that makes you constantly aware that you’re shaping little souls, whether you want to or not.

That’s one of the reasons why I love Psalm 135.

This particular Psalm is tucked into a cluster of psalms overflowing with praise and thanksgiving, filled with reminders of who God is, what He has done, and why His people should worship Him. But right in the middle, almost like a heartbeat, there’s a verse that God pressed onto my mind:

Your name, Lord, endures forever, your renown, Lord, through all generations. -Psalm 135:13

It follows several verses where the psalmist recounts how God delivered the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and how He provided a homeland for His people. And in this verse, it’s almost like the psalmist pauses, mid-story, to say: “This isn’t just about what God has done, this is about what God will continue to do through us, through our kids, and through their kids.”

And in reading it, I felt a gentle nudge: “Have I recounted to my children how God saved me?”

Have they heard about the night decades ago when I knelt on my childhood bedroom carpet, with an old-school evangelical tract in my hand, and asked Jesus to save me? Have they heard the stories of how God has provided in very specific ways, at very specific moments, when I had no clue what to do next? Have they seen me trace His faithfulness through the winding path that led me to their dad, to our home, to this very chaotic and beautiful life?

These are the stories I want to pass down. These are the ones that declare the Lord’s renown “from generation to generation.” When we tell them, when we pull our kids close and say, “Let me tell you where I saw God today,” we’re not just reminiscing. We’re modeling worship. We’re saying with our lives, Look. See. God has been faithful, and He will be faithful again.

And really, that’s the heartbeat of this Psalm. Psalm 135 begins and ends with praise, a declaration of who God is and what our proper response should be.

I love that when I look into my children’s eyes, I see their Daddy. And I love the predictable morning moment when one of my boys shuffles into the kitchen with his hair in full cowlick rebellion, just like mine. But what stirs my heart most deeply is when I hear them telling stories of God’s goodness in their own words, when they sing praises beside me in the church pews, when I hear them praying for each other night after night.

Those are the moments when I can almost feel Psalm 135 pulsing through our home, declaring,

“Your name, Lord, endures forever, your renown, Lord, through all generations.”

May it be so, in my family, and in yours.

Now, It's Your Turn!

I challenge you to take a moment to pray, then read or listen to Psalm 135 today. Think about what stands out to you. Consider writing down a statement of faith. It may help to think of this as an I-statement. Maybe yours is similar to Samantha's:

I want the heartbeat of Psalm 135 to be the heartbeat of my home, of my office, of my life: “Your name, Lord, endures forever, your renown, Lord, through all generations.”

Then, jot down a question to think about today. Maybe yours is similar to Samantha's:

What stories do I want to pass down? What stories from my life declare the Lord’s renown “from generation to generation.” How can I share these and model worship to those God has put in my circle of care?

May this reflection lead our hearts to gratitude and praise today and may we stand in victory against the tactics and schemes of the enemy.

And praise God for refreshment as we are intentional to spend a summer in the Psalms together, for if we want His truth to ever be on our lips, it must first be planted in our hearts.

Our strength grows as we rely on strength from above. Our joy grows as we see God transforming us from the inside out. Our peace grows as we spend time in God's presence, and we find rest when we intentionally seek the Lord first in our lives, for the Lord is ever our portion.

The good life, well it starts with a good day. Then another. Then another. Let's choose to live #TheGoodDay one day at a time.