Hi how are you all today? I am great and have had a good weekend and a great day at church today. I love meeting in Gods house on Sunday morning with the people of God. There is nothing like giving encouragement and receiving it from others. How was your weekend?
This week in the year of renewal, I want us to do something unusual. I want us to look back a year or even more and remember the way we were back then. Ask yourself these questions:
- Have I changed much in my walk with God?
- Am I still reading the Bible daily?
- Am I still praying daily?
- Has anything increased in my life spiritually or have I gone backwards somehow?
- Are my foundations still set on Jesus the rock or are they more like shifting sand?
- What is one thing God is speaking to me about through asking these questions?
The Bible tells us not to look back like Lots wife did and she turned into a pillar of salt. But I believe there is a time for looking back- not on our mistakes, not on craving our past life but doing a stocktake and remembering the goodness of God in our lives and how far He has brought us.
Psalm 77 verses 11 and 12 in the Message Bible tell us:
11-12 Once again I’ll go over what God has done,
lay out on the table the ancient wonders;
I’ll ponder all the things you’ve accomplished,
and give a long, loving look at your acts
In verse 1 of that psalm, the person is yelling at God for having forgotten them and then the above statement is made. Sometimes in the midst of God renewing us, it can feel like God has forgotten us. But we, like the psalmist, needs to look back- not on our faults but on what God has previously done.
I can remember praying prayers along the lines of God you did it before for me, You can do it again. A word of warning, God will come through for us but it won’t be the same way as last time. God is not a robot who does things the same way, He is always creative. This is why we must trust Him.
Psalm 143 is another reminder of remembering what God has done. In verses 3 to 6 in the Message Bible, it states:
6 The enemy hunted me down;
he kicked me and stomped me within an inch of my life.
He put me in a black hole,
buried me like a corpse in that dungeon.
I sat there in despair, my spirit draining away,
my heart heavy, like lead.
I remembered the old days,
went over all you’ve done, pondered the ways you’ve worked,
Stretched out my hands to you,
as thirsty for you as a desert thirsty for rain.
My question from this psalm for us is that once we remember what God has done, do we then seek God as if we are thirsty for water or do we just trust that God will do it again?
Sometimes we need to cry out to God like a thirsty person because God is wanting to do a deep work in us before He answers. In those times, it is not that God is withholding, He is beckoning us to draw closer to Him. This proves what is more important – God as amazing God or only God as supplier.
The story of Jacob in the book of Genesis is one that tells of Gods faithfulness. After his mother sent him away for stealing his brother’s blessing, he camped the first night. A rock was his pillow and God showed him a dream of angels ascending and descending to earth. The next morning, Jacob prayed. The story is found in Genesis 28 and in the Message Bible, part of that prayer states:
20-22 Jacob vowed a vow: “If God stands by me and protects me on this journey on which I’m setting out, keeps me in food and clothing, and brings me back in one piece to my father’s house, this Godwill be my God. This stone that I have set up as a memorial pillar will mark this as a place where God lives. And everything you give me, I’ll return a tenth to you.
Jacob made a memorial to God so he could remember the goodness of God. However, in Genesis 34, a bad thing happened. His daughter Dinah was raped and as a consequence, her brothers killed all the males in that town. Jacob’s family became a stench in the community.
But what did God do for Jacob. Genesis 35, verse 1 tells us:
God spoke to Jacob: “Go back to Bethel. Stay there and build an altar to the God who revealed himself to you when you were running for your life from your brother Esau.”
In essence God was saying go back to the place where I revealed myself to You so you remember Whose you are.
It is time for us to look back and remember the goodness of God. In this year of renewal, God wants to build on that foundation from long ago and renew you spiritually to where you should be. Will you let Him? Will I let Him?
Let’s encourage each other in this. You can do it.
Bless you and keep living the life God intended for you.
Karen
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