In my memory, it often the bad days that claim greater prominence! Like it was yesterday, I can recall the puzzlement that turned to fear on September 11, 2001. I can remember the phone calls from my kids, the meeting that I was attending that was cut short as we Pastors scattered to return to our churches and families. I remember, with crystal clarity, the awful morning, March 23, 1985, when I found the lifeless body of our foster son, then a toddler, who had wandered into the farm's pond and drowned, or so we thought. In between frantic efforts at resuscitation and desperate prayers to Heaven, God restored that child to us, but I'll never forget the horrible 24 hours between finding him in the water and when he regained consciousness in a pediatric intensive care unit. Though we so easily recall the hard days, the fearful moments, the tragedies, we need to make the choice to recall the good stuff!
Recently I sat with my Dad for an afternoon. Despite his critical illness, together we remembered... good things, fun things, happy days, and the blessings of God. We dug back through our memories, one story leading to another. We recalled changed lives, celebrations, milestone achievements, God's wonderful works. In remembering my faith was strengthened. It is important to mark the moments; both ordinary and stupendous, that God answers prayers, gives assurance, touches us with His joy. Many times in the Scripture, we read of memorials being built, records being written - just for the purpose of reminding future generations of the goodness of God. Take a look at what the Bible says about one of those times. "Now choose twelve men, one from each tribe. Tell them, ‘Take twelve stones from the very place where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan. Carry them out and pile them up at the place where you will camp tonight.’ ... We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever." (Joshua 4:2-7, NLT)
As you face a new week perhaps you're also feeling overwhelmed by a challenge. Maybe it seems today that God is far away, that some difficulty is too big to overcome. Perhaps you've been in the fight so long you're weary even today on a Monday morning. Take a few moments for a memory review. Bring to mind a victory or two from your past and thank God! If you can't remember one from your own 'faith story,' then borrow one from some Christian's biography and thank God for His faithfulness to them. Or review a story from the Bible - Daniel in the lion's den when God showed up and closed the lion's mouth; young David on the field of battle confronting Goliath in the name of the LORD of Israel; or Paul and Silas in the jail in Philippi singing worship songs at midnight until God rocked the house!
"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name." (Hebrews 13:15, NIV) Let's not misunderstand this directive of the Word. It is not just an encouragement to optimism as powerful as positive thinking is! We are reminded to praise God for His greatness, to remember our inheritance as children of God, an inheritance given to through Jesus Christ, irrevocably and freely. We bring our worshipful praise to Him as a sacrifice, which He finds deeply pleasing.
Go ahead, offer a sacrifice of praise right now. Make it sincere, even if it's simple. Then, add another and another. Soon, you will have discovered the amazing power of praise, for praise ushers us into the Presence of God, where "we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most." (Hebrews 4:16, NLT)
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