Passing the Baton

By Danny Saavedra

“One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—and I will meditate on your wonderful works. They tell of the power of your awesome works—and I will proclaim your great deeds. They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.”—Psalm 145:4–7 (NIV)

Have you ever been in or watched a relay race? No matter how fast or strong a runner is, the race can be lost if the baton is dropped. It’s not just about one person running their leg; it’s about finishing the race together, each runner passing something on to the next.

I still remember the tragic finish for the U.S. National Women’s Relay Team in 2016. Allyson Felix was handing off to English Gardner in the prelims when a runner from another lane clipped her. Felix stumbled, the baton bobbled, and before they knew it, the exchange was blown. Years of training, world-class speed, all the potential in the world, and the baton didn’t make it to the next runner. That’s the heartbreak of a relay . . . you can run your part perfectly, but if the pass is sloppy, the race is lost.

Yesterday we talked about legacy and revival in Habakkuk 3:2, and we prayed, “Lord, do it again in our day.” But here’s the truth: The next generation can’t pray that prayer if we don’t teach it to them. They can’t say, “Lord, I’ve heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds . . . repeat them in our time” if no one has told them, if they haven’t seen it . . . if we drop the baton. That’s what Psalm 145 is about: “One generation commends your works to another.” That’s discipleship. That’s how revival becomes legacy.

We see both a clean handoff and a tragic drop in Scripture. Moses passed the baton to Joshua. He laid hands on him, encouraged him, and called Israel to follow. Joshua picked it up and ran faithfully. Judges 2:7 (NIV) says, “The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.” That’s a clean pass. But just a few verses later, we read, “After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel” (Judges 2:10 NIV). The baton was dropped. And the result? “Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord” (Judges 2:11 NIV).

That’s what happens when we don’t raise up the next generation to take the baton. One generation knows the stories, experiences God’s works, and sings His praise. But if they don’t commend those works as they age, if they don’t proclaim those deeds boldly to their children, if they don’t model those lives of devotion and instead shrink back, then the next generation grows up not knowing Him. And if they don’t know Him, how can they cry out for revival? How can they ask God to “do it again” if they don’t even know what He’s done before? And sadly, that’s where we are today. So many in the last few generations (Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha) have grown up in the postmodern world where about 30% of people identify as “nones” (no religious affiliation whatsoever), where 49% of Americans say they never or seldom attend church, and where 23% of people report never having walked into a church!

This is why Paul exhorted Timothy to “fan into flame the gift of God” (2 Timothy 1:6 NIV), because you can’t hand off what you don’t hold fast to. Then in 2 Timothy 2:2 (NIV) he said, “The things you have heard me say . . . entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” That’s four generations of clean passes. Paul to Timothy to faithful people to others. No baton drops; just discipleship.

Paul also reminded the Corinthians, “For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus” (1 Corinthians 4:15 NLT). Teachers give information; fathers live a life worthy of imitation, which is why he could say in 1 Corinthians 11:1 (NIV), “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” That’s how legacy multiplied then and how it will today. We must be a people who are about discipleship. Our churches and ministries must be fueled by discipleship, by teaching sound doctrine (Titus 2:1), by modeling godly living (Philippians 1:27; Titus 3:1–3), and by investing into the generations that come after us (Titus 2:2–8).

So, here’s the challenge: Don’t just run your leg; pass the baton. Tell the stories. Proclaim His deeds. Sing of His goodness. Live in such a way that those coming behind you don’t just hear about revival—they see it in your life. Because when you disciple, when you invest, when you pass the baton, you’ll make sure the next generation doesn’t grow up in Judges 2 darkness, but in Psalm 145 praise.

And when God calls, the right response isn’t just to run harder—it’s to say, “Here I am, Lord. Send me.”

Pause: Who are you intentionally passing the baton of faith to right now? If the answer is “no one,” what does that say about the legacy you’re leaving?

Practice: Tell one person today about something God has done in your life . . . commend His works to them. It could be your child, a coworker, a younger believer, or even someone who doesn’t yet know Jesus. Don’t just run your leg; make the pass.

Pray: Father, thank You for those who passed the baton of faith into my life. I know their legacy goes all the way back to Jesus, who passed the baton to His disciples and so on until it came to me. Help me not just to run my race, but to pass it faithfully to those after me. Don’t let my generation be the one where the baton is dropped. Make me a discipler and parent in the faith. And may the next generation not just hear of Your fame, but stand in awe of Your deeds and cry out for You to do it again. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.