Our memory is faulty, even at our most proficient, with our mind as sharp as it ever will be, we lack good memory. As a 64 year old with memory issues from Cancer treatments I struggle. Yet even people 30 or 40 years my junior cannot remember either.
Part of our problem is we are finite and our human brains as wonderous as they are can only hold so much information. Beyond that the mystery of our Souls and Spirits and how we retain our identity and life’s memories to be who we are is beyond human understanding. But one thing is certain we all have a Sin Nature, and that spiritual rebellion is at the root of the futility we experience in life.
We are all guilty, none of us are righteous, no not one. We often think we are good sinners, having perhaps conquered a besetting sin or tow we feel accomplished in life. The fact remains we will struggle with our sin to the moment of our death.
Christ is at work in the world and in your life through the Person of the Holy Spirit. We can never thank him or repay him enough for the sacrifice he made, never. His Holy Word that lives in the Bible tells us much of our true nature and how we should live. Relationship is key, part time Christianity will not work, many try even today with God’s Holy Word being available in more places and more forms than in all of History we still rebel, we still sin.
When the Triune God calling in to existence the Cosmos, he already had our salvation completely worked out right up to and through the present moment. He also knew about how our sin and the futility of our world distracts us from Holy Living. He knew we would rather watch TV than read the Bible. Yet through Christ, through the cross and the Mentorship of the Person of the Holy Spirit we are tutored and influenced that we can live more Holy Lives, more Christ-Like. We all so quickly forget the ways that God has been our help in the past, the answered prayer, and the visible deliverances. God has always provided for us all in the past. Our current circumstances blind us as they drown out all remembrance of God’s past faithfulness.
There are without doubt seasons of life for all of us when we need to be reminded of God’s past faithfulness so that we can be encouraged in the present and not lose heart. Circumstances like when the doctor says that we have cancer; our marriage falls apart; our children turn their backs on the Lord. When our lives do not seem to go the way we have hoped or planned; a loved one dies; or when discouragement and frustration in life overwhelm us, these are times when we need to be reminded that the God who has been our help in the past will be our help in the present, regardless of what our current circumstances may tell us.
Our present circumstances are insignificant when they are viewed from an eternal perspective. God is at work doing something bigger than we can see right now. We need to remember God’s providence and preach it to ourselves. After you have preached it to yourself share it with others with whom the Lord brings us into contact. The God who has been our help in the past will in all ways possible be our help in the present.