"Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, and out of the home of bondage; for by his strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place..." Ex. 13:3
".. he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance..." John 14:26-27
Does the future look uncertain to you? Do you often feel like you are worried, confused, struggling with the present, because you know not what lies ahead? Or perhaps are you struggling like never before, God seems a million miles away, and you have no idea what to do? Nothing you can think of or have tried seems to work, you're just totally lost. Are you feeling that way?
We know nothing of the future, that is a fact. Countless times I have tried to anticipate the future, and even make great plans ahead, only to find them denied one way or another. God has this great knack of spoiling plans, especially those that we get so excited about. Whatever we want to happen never happens; God always reveals something else.
Why is this so? Because if we want to yield our lives to God, then we must acknowledge and learn that He and He alone is is control of the future, not us. If we were discerning enough to be able to see what lies ahead, then perhaps God could let us have a share of the planning. But we are not. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55: 8-9. If God were to leave the future to us, we would go astray amazingly quickly, like sheep without a shepherd. Even if our intentions are good; even if we are intending to honour Him.
So what can we do then if we cannot look to the future. We can look to the past. We can remember. We can remember the lessons that God has taught us in the past. We can remember God's goodness in delivering us from the trials we have faced before; we can remember how He has brought us through to this point. In fact, some lessons can only be learned in retrospect. Jesus evidently felt that this was important, because He described one of the roles of the Holy Spirit as to "bring all things to your remembrance." Think about it. Lessons are meant to be applied; especially those we have learned though our mistakes, so that we will not make them again. The future is uncertain, but the past is cast in stone. The lessons we have learnt and the wonderful things that God has done in our lives are cast in stone; they will help us in the decisions that we make at the present, or in the struggles we face at the moment, which will lead us to the future that God will step by step reveal.
And remembering what God has spoken and done in the past can keep us from going astray. When faced with temptation anew in the Promised Land, the Israelites went astray partly because they failed to remember the glorious things that God had done for them, how He had delivered them, and the commands that He had given them. They focused only on the present- their needs, their wants. All gratitude was lost. As i wrote in my previous entry- if I had remembered what God had said before and followed, then perhaps I would not have gone so far astray.
And we have this glorious promise- "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever." The Jesus who has carried us through our past is the same Jesus who will carry us into the future.
So if you are facing a struggle or not sure what to do, pray for guidance in the present, and remember the past.
".. he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance..." John 14:26-27
Does the future look uncertain to you? Do you often feel like you are worried, confused, struggling with the present, because you know not what lies ahead? Or perhaps are you struggling like never before, God seems a million miles away, and you have no idea what to do? Nothing you can think of or have tried seems to work, you're just totally lost. Are you feeling that way?
We know nothing of the future, that is a fact. Countless times I have tried to anticipate the future, and even make great plans ahead, only to find them denied one way or another. God has this great knack of spoiling plans, especially those that we get so excited about. Whatever we want to happen never happens; God always reveals something else.
Why is this so? Because if we want to yield our lives to God, then we must acknowledge and learn that He and He alone is is control of the future, not us. If we were discerning enough to be able to see what lies ahead, then perhaps God could let us have a share of the planning. But we are not. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55: 8-9. If God were to leave the future to us, we would go astray amazingly quickly, like sheep without a shepherd. Even if our intentions are good; even if we are intending to honour Him.
So what can we do then if we cannot look to the future. We can look to the past. We can remember. We can remember the lessons that God has taught us in the past. We can remember God's goodness in delivering us from the trials we have faced before; we can remember how He has brought us through to this point. In fact, some lessons can only be learned in retrospect. Jesus evidently felt that this was important, because He described one of the roles of the Holy Spirit as to "bring all things to your remembrance." Think about it. Lessons are meant to be applied; especially those we have learned though our mistakes, so that we will not make them again. The future is uncertain, but the past is cast in stone. The lessons we have learnt and the wonderful things that God has done in our lives are cast in stone; they will help us in the decisions that we make at the present, or in the struggles we face at the moment, which will lead us to the future that God will step by step reveal.
And remembering what God has spoken and done in the past can keep us from going astray. When faced with temptation anew in the Promised Land, the Israelites went astray partly because they failed to remember the glorious things that God had done for them, how He had delivered them, and the commands that He had given them. They focused only on the present- their needs, their wants. All gratitude was lost. As i wrote in my previous entry- if I had remembered what God had said before and followed, then perhaps I would not have gone so far astray.
And we have this glorious promise- "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever." The Jesus who has carried us through our past is the same Jesus who will carry us into the future.
So if you are facing a struggle or not sure what to do, pray for guidance in the present, and remember the past.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home