Wandering, wondering?

When questions in life outnumber answers, we are tempted to spend too much time in the labyrinths of 'what might have been' and 'what possibly could happen.' Wandering the lanes of either place is a not very productive way to live. We must act and decide while living in the now!

Ever found yourself in the darkness that comes when you try to push the rewind button of time? It doesn't work. Marty McFly got to travel "Back to the Future." We don't. The lens of recall does funny things to memory and what we think we remember is about as close to reality as the reflections of the mirrors in the circus funhouse. Both the depths of failure and the heights of success tend to be exaggerated when we haul them out of our memory banks for review. The future is even less accessible than the past, having the substance like the fog of an early Springtime morning. No matter how hard we try to sculpt the future, the dawn of a new day brings its own challenges, many unforeseen. Jesus' words recorded in the 6th chapter of Matthew's Gospel, urge us to walk with God today. He says we should entrust ourselves to God, inviting His Kingdom to come and His "will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven." Our petition is one of a simple faith, "Give us our daily bread."

To the extent that we try to re-do yesterday or seize control of tomorrow, we fail to simply 'be' in the present. Perhaps one of the reasons that we often look back at a time of terrible crisis with something akin to thanksgiving is that in such times we tend to live totally in the moment which allows us to know God's gift of grace and peace.

Last week I spent four days so enveloped in the care of my Dad, so concerned about loving the family, so taken by immediate responsibilities, that I prayed simple faith-filled prayers to get through each day. I had no occasion to think about the past or the future at all! I did not worry about the state of the church, about presidential politics, about money, or even about the Devil's schemes! The paradox is this - for those days at the peak of personal crisis, I experienced less anxiety than I have felt for weeks! Such is the grace one can experience when living in God's Presence and 'in the moment.'

So what can we do with memories of yesterday? Paul's advice is "forgetting the past, I press on!" Our sins are forgiven when we give them to Jesus, and we must release the same kind of forgiveness to those who have sinned against us. The successes cannot be repeated either, so we stow them away, with thanksgiving, and move forward. Joshua urged the people he led, "Choose today whom you will serve." The wisdom of his counsel is compelling. If we choose the right actions today, we strengthen the foundation of faith and hope on which tomorrow's choices will be made.

Are you wrestling with difficult decisions? Are you trying to fix something you did yesterday or working to meet some challenge you anticipate arising tomorrow?
Trust the Lord right now. Ask for His provision for this day, with thanksgiving. Walk in obedience today resisting temptation, giving yourself to the guidance of the Spirit.

Here's the promise He makes to the faithful: "Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life." (Philippians 4:6-7, The Message)

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Day by day and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment,
I've no cause for worry or for fear.
He whose heart is kind beyond all measure,
Gives unto each day what He deems best;
Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Ev'ry day the Lord Himself is near me
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me,
He whose name is Counselor and Pow'r.
The protection of His child and treasure,
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
"As your days, your strength shall be in measure,"
This the pledge to me He made.

Help me then in ev'ry tribulation,
So to trust Your promises, O Lord;
That I lose not faith's sweet consolation,
Offered me within Your holy Word.
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
E'er to take, as from a Father's hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till I reach the promised land.

Day By DayBerg, Ahnfelt, Skoog
© Public Domain
CCLI License No. 810055