Remember...Meditate...Consider

"I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done." Psalm 143:5 NIV Life is often - and very rightly - compared to a journey, a race, a voyage, a battle. To me, life is also like mountain climbing. In our spiritual walk towards our spiritual destination, we are all called to climb. However, all of us are not called to climb the same mountain. Each one of us is given a steep and high mountain to climb in our lifetime. In order to succeed in climbing it, we need to produce the very best we have in every respect. It calls for even more than that: it calls for outside help; a guide, an experienced guide, with a loving heart and strong arms. When climbing a steep mountain, we stop occasionally to review the past, to consider what lies ahead, and to renew our strength. In this process, we recall the danger spots, places where we narrowly escaped injury or death. We may also remember places where we actually did fall, injuring ourselves. We will carry with us scars of those injuries all our days. As we meditate, we will remember coming to places which we regarded as impossible to climb. Yet, with care, perseverance, and reliance on our guide and his trustworthy rope, we overcame those difficulties. Remember the psalmist saying, "I remember ... I meditate ... I consider ...." What is the result of these? By remembering, we will make sure next time we cling closer to our guide; we will not so easily be discouraged when we encounter seemingly impossible situations on the way. Basically, we will resolve to be more cautious and courageous. We have a difficult and dangerous task ahead of us. In order to be successful in this task, we need to stop our efforts occasionally to renew our strength by remembering, meditating and considering. Why is this necessary? The four verses preceding our quotation from the Psalms indicate the spiritual condition of the writer and the imminent danger of depression. It is in such a condition that he collects himself and finds the way out of defeat and says, "I will remember ... I will meditate ... I will consider…." This might be a good time for some or all of us to take stock: of what lies behind, where we are and what lies ahead. How many wrong steps have we taken? How much or how little injury have we suffered mentally, morally, and spiritually? We should also ask ourselves how many victories we have won. In a very real sense, this is what the psalmist was doing when remembering, meditating and considering. "I will remember the past ... " How much we can remember and how much we can forget, these are controversial subjects among psychologists. Some claim that there is nothing in a person's past which cannot be recalled, if only the proper buttons are pushed. We know from experience how much truth there is in this statement. We know how a face, a voice, a smell, a scene can clearly bring before our eyes incidents which we thought were forgotten, completely erased from our memory, whereas they were only dormant or locked away for a time. There are some things which are quickly remembered: events or people which made a deep and lasting impression upon our memory. That is why psychologists tell us that older people remember some of their childhood experiences better than they can remember very recent ones. In childhood, we are impressionable and some incidents affect us so profoundly as if they were carved on our minds. There are other kinds of memories which cause joy and delight. We remember them again and again. We simply cannot forget them. The psalmist said, "I remember the days of long ago (past)." What should we remember? We will remember how we failed to follow Him faithfully. We will remember incidents where we came near to falling, places where we suffered scars which we carry with us all of our days. And when we meditate for a while, we discover that we stumbled and fell for one of two reasons: either we did not watch our step, or we did not stay close enough to our Guide despite His warnings. "Watch and pray, lest you fall into temptation," He said. Sometimes we stumble because we are busier watching someone else's steps! We have to ask ourselves this question: if we can recall our failures of the past, can we not also recall our victories and successes? There have been instances in our past when we thought we were face to face with the impossible; but by care, perseverance and reliance on our Guide, we overcame these situations and scored a victory. Inasmuch as it is healthy to take account of the past, I do not believe that we should dwell too much on our past mistakes and falls - upon past sins - because it is not in compliance with our Christian faith. It does not bring honour to God and is not healthy spiritually. God's promise to His children is, "I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remember your sins no more" (Isaiah 43:25). The promise in I John 1:9 is, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." We honour God when we take Him at His word and, after confessing our sins, leave them entirely with Him. Dwelling upon our past sins is not helpful to ourselves. Such continual introspection tends to lead us into despair and depression. When people reach a state of despair over their past sins, they stand on dangerous ground. All it takes the enemy is a little push to send them headlong to destruction. It is better to leave the past with God who has promised to deal with it in His own way. When and if we are to remember our past sins and mistakes, it should be to remind us to be more careful in the future and to learn a lesson from experience for our future walk. On the other hand, we must remember our past victories again and again. These memories will make us courageous to consider our path as we climb towards the reward of the heavenly calling in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:12-14). We need courage as well as caution to qualify for the reward. We do not know how easy or how difficult the future is going to be, but by remembering the victories of the past, we will be encouraged to face and overcome future problems and dangers. The Guide who has proven Himself faithful in the past will not be found unfaithful in the future. Therefore, we would be wise not only to leave the pains of the past with God, but also to give up the concerns and worries of the future into His hands. Let us join our voices with the voice of the psalmist who sang: Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget His benefits. The greatest benefits of all - which we must ever remember - are grace and hope, through Jesus Christ our Lord: "I will trust and not be afraid." Comments Write Comment  Name: Title: Comment: