Take A Stroll Down Memory Lane
Dear Friends,
This coming Sunday our church will celebrate its 15-year anniversary. As the weekend has gotten closer, I’ve been preparing for the celebration service which has given me a sweet time of remembering all God has done for us over the past 15 years. As I was reflecting on how much life has happened since we started meeting, God reminded me of Psalm 105:1-5, which says: “Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim His greatness. Let the whole world know what He has done. Sing to Him; yes, sing His praises. Tell everyone about His wonderful deeds. Exult in His holy name; rejoice, you who worship the Lord. Search for the Lord and for His strength; continually seek Him. Remember the wonders He has performed, His miracles, and the rulings He has given.”
I love this passage because of how it reminds us that there is power in taking time to remember - especially when it's remembering all that God has done for us. As we remember all He’s done in the past it encourages us that He will care for us in the future. At the same time, it reminds us that God has a plan, and He never abandons His plans or His promises. While we may know these things on an intellectual level, the truth is we often “forget” them on an emotional level when we're facing challenging times. Remembering the truth about who God is and how He deals with us will build our strength and confidence for moving forward. But one of the most important reasons we should take time to remember what God has done for us is that it puts the credit for our lives exactly where it belongs - with God.
So even when life is tough and things don’t seem to make sense to us, we need to remember God's faithfulness to us in the past, and then rest assured that He is in control and is working out His plan in the present - and for the future. We need to believe that God is working for our good, and the good of others. Then we need to let that knowledge encourage and strengthen us, and motivate us to do our best to live for Him so that He will be glorified in all we do.
So today, let's take time to remember what God has done for us. Then, out of that remembering, let's ask God to build our faith and confidence in the fact that He will continue to do great and wonderful things for us - now, and in the future. And with all that in mind, let’s choose to thank and praise and trust God, and live our lives to His glory.
Amen?
Daniel