The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"More Than Memories"
Let us always go with God when we journey in heart and mind to the past.
"I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember Thy wonders of old" (Psalm 77:11).
Such remembrance involves the recall of blessings, challenges, and everyday moments. Thinking back on our lives offers opportunity for more than memories. This includes happy times of blessing from God, challenging times we endured through our Lord, and everyday moments in which He was intimately present and intricately active, whether we realized such grace or not.
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights" (James 1:17).
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1).
"I am with you always" (Matthew 28:20).
When we remember our blessings with gratitude and giving of thanks, the Holy Spirit graces our recollections with a strengthened determination to presently trust our Lord. We journey to the past of God's generously bestowed lovingkindness not only in remembrance, but with gratitude for His goodness. "Give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness" (Psalm 30:4). Yes, we remember our happy times as more than memories, and as opportunities for thanksgiving.
Just as importantly, we never look back without factoring our Heavenly Father's involved presence in pains, difficulties, and sorrows. He was there in all of them, either administering or allowing our challenges for His glory, our benefit, and the benefit of others. In the mystery of His wisdom, we journey with our Lord to the painful portions of our past for the purpose of seeing Him there with compassion, and also with the commitment to work all things together for our good. Thus, we recall our difficult days as more than memories, and as opportunities for thanksgiving.
We recall everyday moments of our yesterdays with the same gratitude. That which may have seemed mundane to us actually teemed with significance, as wrought by God's pervasive presence and working. "God… worketh all things after the counsel of His own will" (Ephesians 1:3; 11). All matters to Him, and all matters to us, including that which may have seemed purposeless and without meaning. This was never the case, and we can and must look back on bygone everyday moments as opportunities for more than memories.
We journey to our past with the One able to illuminate our view of days gone by. We choose to see Him in our yesterdays, believing that our Lord is so wise, able, involved, powerful, and loving that every good and perfect gift was from Him. We also choose to believe that no painful moment of the past escapes His capacity to redeem and use for our benefit, and the benefit of those with whom we live and to whom we minister. We see the seemingly insignificant moments of yesterday in the same light of our Heavenly Father's gracious presence and involvement. The choices to view our past in this perspective are not easy, and we will not fully understand how God works all things together for our good. We just know that He does. His Word declares this truth. He cannot lie. He always fulfills His promises. Thus, we journey to the past for the primary purpose of seeing our Heavenly Father there in the blessings and trials, and in all. We make our memories more than memories as we give thanks and rest our hearts in the God of our yesterdays, todays, and forever.
We will not go alone
as we journey to the past,
along the trail of memories
that in our hearts hold fast.
For we did not go alone
through the blessings and the trials,
Someone was ever with us
in the tears and in the smiles.
So we will not go alone
when we ponder yesterdays,
We will journey with the Father
so worthy of our praise.
For He was there in all, in every hour
weaving all together,
for the glory of His Son
and our benefit forever.
We will not go alone as we journey to the past.
"Thou hast been my help."
(Psalm 63:7)
Weekly Memory Verse
I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)
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