On Remembrance Sunday, Mark spoke about some of the things we need to remember, looking at three Scriptures in particular:
- Psalm 137:1-4. This psalm was written during the Babylonian exile, when God’s people were far from their homeland and were lost and grieving. They felt abandoned, too sad to praise God and as if they had nothing to look forward to. They remembered the ‘good times’ back in Zion and were heartbroken, but we also need to remember that life is full of highs and lows and God has plans for us which we cannot always see. He has a plan for our liberation and restoration which may be hidden from view in our current situation but which will be fulfilled in His timing.
- Isaiah 43:18-19. Here, Isaiah reminds us that there are times when we need to forget the former things and look ahead to the new things God is doing. We can’t change the past and sometimes spend too long looking back. God wants to do vibrant, new things in our lives and in our churches and we need to be ready to move forward into the rivers of blessing He has for us. Instead of believing our lives have no future, we need to be confident in the future God has for us.
- Jeremiah 31:33-34. Here, we can be grateful for what God chooses not to remember. Although He cannot forget anything, God says ‘I will remember their sins no more.’ Our sins have been erased by God, and though the devil has a habit of dragging up past sins, a sin repented of and forgiven by God has been eradicated (blotted out) from history by God, who chooses to wipe the slate clean for us.
If we find ourselves in a praiseless existence, God can bring us into a place of liberation and joy. If we tend to look back instead of forward, He can bring us into new experiences and revelations of Himself. We have to forgive ourselves and refuse to be distracted from the blessed future God has for us, confident in the fresh start God gives each one of us.