Scroll down to see and play Audio.
Hello my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Today we’re midway through our first week together, seeking to understand a God designed pathway OUT of the turbulent, sometimes tragic storms, of the past several months. No one has been immune from the unpredictable COVID-19 virus, or global economic turmoil, or closure of larger gatherings of people in every conceivable venue. The toll of these past weeks has been devastating for many people, families, businesses, communities and even nations. We began our journey with this powerful statement from God: “The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God…” (Psalm 53:2 & 14:2)
Let’s continue today with two more important lessons to be learned about REMEMBERING, the first major step in the journey OUT of the darkness and desperation of great life storms.
Psalm 86 is one of the greatest writings of David and I invite us all to read it all, very word of it today. “Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am needy. Guard my life for I am devoted to You. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in You…” Has that been your cry, more than once, over these past several weeks? Has your life journey given you confidence that you can come to God in the middle of the storms, and He is alert to your cry?
Key to using REMEMBERING as the first big step out of the storms is that we use the power of REMEMBER to Learn Life Lessons! Listen to David: “Teach me Your way, O LORD, and I will walk in Your truth. Give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name. I will praise You, O LORD my God, with all my heart; I will glorify Your name forever. For great is Your love toward me, You have delivered me…” (Psalm 86:11,12,13)
Do you hear David’s determination to turn away from all the distracting voices beckoning him to follow their path in the storm, and instead focus his ears, eyes, mind and heart only on ONE voice? Do you hear David’s hunger to LEARN God’s path, and to learn how to WALK in God’s truth, every step? Do you see David has learned that when he does that, he will have an UNDIVIDED heart! He will not be distracted or pulled off the path to what may appear to be attractive short-cuts, but end up in disaster. Do you see David’s determination to live in AWE of God, in fear of what happens when a worshiper of God is drawn to worship other things, or a follower of Jesus begins to follow other people or their own agenda?
Do you see David’s determination to live a life of PRAISE to God, honoring God with his life? Do you see David REMEMBERING how God has rescued, delivered, loved and led him in the past? As I read David’s Psalms, and there are many of them in our Bible, I see in his writings a strong awareness that if he does NOT learn the lessons God wants to teach him along the way, his REMEMBERING of the past will not be very beneficial.
But if he looks back with God given wisdom, the lessons of his past will inform his decisions in the present. It’s exactly the same for you and me my friends. So as you REMEMBER the story of your life, do you cherish the life lessons God was trying to teach you along the way and do you bring them into your decision making today? Have you taught your kids and grandkids how to let God teach them from their past?
I wonder if you remember what the Apostle Paul wrote to his young disciple Timothy? “Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord Jesus was poured out on me abundantly…Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason, I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on Him, and receive eternal life. (1 Timothy 1:13-16)
Do you see Paul was remembering with clarity and accuracy, even though it was humiliating to him to admit who he was before Jesus? Do you see Paul recognized how God was there, working in his past by the power of Jesus? Do you see Paul looks back celebrating how he is a changed man, because of Jesus? God has been doing an ongoing, transformational work in Paul, by the power of the Holy Spirit of God. It’s called Sanctification. Grasp this my friends, it’s vital if we are going to maximize the power of Remembering.
We need to recognize, understand and celebrate the changes God has been accomplishing IN you and me as HE refines us more and more into being like Jesus, the Son of God! Paul was not proud of who he had been years before, perhaps you aren’t either. But he sure was excited about what he remembered as he reflected on the lessons he had learned as he walked with, and even suffered for, Jesus!
Who have you become since you trusted Jesus to be your Savior? From what has He rescued you? You remember 2 Corinthians 5:17 right? “Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, the old has gone and the new has come and all this is from God...” Oh friends, the more clearly you and I can see the transforming work of God in our lives as we remember, the more the Holy Spirit can use our remembering to guide us forward, for God’s glory, as we emerge from the turbulent storms of the past!
May I urge you to take your journal and make some entries about the transforming work of the Holy Spirit of God that you see in your life? And then take some time to worship and thank God for all He is doing in developing you into who HE wants you to be for His glory!
Here’s a great song to help you reflect and worship, with about 70,000 men in a stadium…a great remembrance from the past:
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
Archived back issues of “Walking with Jesus” and other resources are available by clicking here to open our ‘home page’ (or go to HOME at upper right of this page).
Share with friends. Subscribe below for daily “Walking with Jesus”.