The Power of Remembering

"The LORD has made known His salvation; He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations. With trumpets and the sound of the horn Shout joyfully before the King, the LORD. Before the LORD, for He is coming to judge the earth; He will judge the world with righteousness And the peoples with equity."

(Psalms 98:2, 6, 9 NAS95S)

"In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; In the night my hand was stretched out without weariness; My soul refused to be comforted. I will remember my song in the night; I will meditate with my heart, And my spirit ponders:  

I shall remember the deeds of the LORD; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old."

(Psalms 77:2, 6, 11 NAS95S)

Observation:  There is power in remembrance.  The is hope to be found in recollection.  The words of Delirious' song What is This Thing Called Love come to mind:

Looking back into yesterday and all the dreams that heaven sent

Maybe love will come our way.

And when I stood upon the land I threw the dreams into the sea

Maybe they will rise again

And maybe, maybe love will come our way

And maybe, maybe hope will come to us again

What is this thing called love?

I know I've found it, it's in Your eyes.

The memories of yesterday and the dreams that gripped us are ultimately memories of the love of God.  When I was younger, I longed to be used of God.  Now that I'm old I still long... But in a different way... I long to be in-dwelt and then used.  I find myself praying the prayer of Moses:

"Then he said to Him, "If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. "For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth?"" (Exodus 33:15-16 NAS95S)

It is not the accomplishment of my goals that shall distinguish my life, it is the presence of God.  It is not what I preach or say or do, it is the presence of God.  All this stuff, all my accomplishments, all my cuteness or lack thereof, only has meaning as He has me.  He must increase and I must decrease.  Christ in me, the hope of Glory!  That is what matters.  As Rich Mullins penned:

My One Thing

Rich Mullins
Matthew 5:8, Psalm 73:23-28 

Everybody I know says they need just one thing 

And what they really mean is that they need just one thing more 

And everybody seems to think they've got it coming 

Well I know that I don't deserve You 

Still I want to love and serve You more and more 

You're my one thing 

Save me from those things that might distract me 

Please take them away and purify my heart 

I don't want to lose the eternal for the things that are passing 

'Cause what will I have when the world is gone 

If it isn't for the love that goes on and on with 

My one thing 

You're my one thing 

And the pure in heart shall see God 

You're my one thing 

You're my one thing 

And the pure in heart shall see God 

Who have I in Heaven but You Jesus? 

And what better could I hope to find down here on earth? 

I could cross the most distant reaches 

Of this world, but I'd just be wasting my time 

'Cause I'm certain already, I'm sure I'd find 

You're my one thing (one thing) 

You're my one thing (one thing) 

And the pure in heart shall see God 

You're my one thing (one thing) 

You're my one thing (one thing) 

And the pure in heart shall see God 

Every night and every day 

You hold on tight 

Or you drift away 

And you're left to live 

With the choices you make 

Oh Lord please give me the strength 

To watch and work and love and sing and pray 

'Cause who have I in Heaven but You Jesus? 

And what better could I hope to find down here on earth? 

Well I could cross the most distant reaches 

Of this world, but I'd just be wasting my time 

'Cause I'm certain already I'm sure I'd find 

You're my one thing (one thing) 

You're my one thing (one thing) 

And the pure in heart shall see God 

You're my one thing (one thing) 

You're my one thing (one thing) 

And the pure in heart shall see God 

Application:  Remember Jesus.  Remember the cross.  This is the Lord's message to my heart this morning.  Remember that there is no good thing in me but for the presence of God.  Remember that I am His servant.  Remember that He must increase and I must decrease.  Remember that I am not defined by what I do, but by what He has done.  I'm not defined by my successes or failures but by the proclamation of His word over my life:  "You are my beloved son in who I'm well pleased!"  

Yes, today, this morning, God is speaking to my heart:  I chose you in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before me in love.  REMEMBER THAT!  HOLD ONTO MY WORD!

Prayer:  O the thrill of being loved by You.  The joy of Your abiding presence!  There is no other need than cherish Your love; no other need than to pass it on.  For in bestowing I find it growing in me.  In giving it away I find an ever increasing supply of Your gracious goodness and love.  Make me a conduit Lord Jesus.  Love me as You love through me.  Amen.

Spread Your Covering

""May the LORD reward your work, and your wages be full from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge."" (Ruth 2:12 NAS95S)

"He said, "Who are you?" And she answered, "I am Ruth your maid. So spread your covering over your maid, for you are a close relative."" (Ruth 3:9 NAS95S)

Observation: Ruth sought the shelter of the Lord before she sought the shelter of a man.  Her invitation to Boaz, "spread your covering over me,"  can also be translated "spread your wings over me."  In a marriage the man is to be the protector and provide.   Ruth teaches us that before a young woman seeks protection and provision from any man, she must seek protection and provision from the Lord.

Application:  As a Father, I have been called to model the shelter of the Lord to my daughter.  It is my responsibility to point her to Jesus as her ultimate protector and provider.  As I show love and respect to my wife, as I treat her with tenderness and compassion, as I guard her trust through marital faithfulness, I'm showing my daughter what it means for her maker to be her husband (Isaiah 54:5).  I'm giving my daughter a tangible picture of an intangible reality.  

I also demonstrate this providing and protecting love in the way I relate to my little girl.  Yesterday, I got her all flustered because I gave the little bit of orange juice that was left in the pitcher to her brother.  I told her I was giving it to him because she still had a lot of juice left in her cup.  She wanted me to save it and give her the extra juice cause I had already given JayJay a second serving.  I said no and she burst into tears.  

Eventually I went up to her room and laid beside her.  She had been very tired from a long day on Sabbath.  I put my arms around her and held her tight.  Covering her in my wings you might say.  And I could literally feel her little body relax in my protective embrace.

Mmm... isn't this a beautiful picture of our Father who comes close to us, who wraps us in His arms, who covers us in the shadow of His wings?  

Prayer:  Lord Jesus I lift up my little girl to You this morning; be a husband to her.  Teach her to seek refuge in You long before she ever seeks it in a spouse.  Lord fill my life with Your Holy Spirit that I may help her along this journey of finding in You a forever friend.  Help me disciple her in what it means to take refuge in Your wings.  Guide me as I seek to disciple her in prayer and the ways of Your loving will.  I thank You God for my little girl and pray that You will help me to bless her life with Your grace.  Fill me and fill her with Your Holy Spirit.  Amen!

Afterglow: 

"Keep me as the apple of the eye; Hide me in the shadow of Your wings"  (Psalms 17:8 NAS95S)

"How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings."  (Psalms 36:7 NAS95S)

"Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, For my soul takes refuge in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge Until destruction passes by."  (Psalms 57:1 NAS95S)

"Let me dwell in Your tent forever; Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah."  (Psalms 61:4 NAS95S)

"For You have been my help, And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy."  (Psalms 63:7 NAS95S)

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!" For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper And from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark."  (Psalms 91:1-4 NAS95S)

""The eternal God is a dwelling place, And underneath are the everlasting arms; And He drove out the enemy from before you, And said, 'Destroy!'"  (Deuteronomy 33:27 NAS95S)