I think our psalm reading today is very apropos to the end of the year. I believe we've all had some pretty tough things that have left us grasping for God in prayer and tears. And if it hasn't been us, we know people who we love that are doing just that. It is good and right to grieve losses whether or not they are people. There is much we don't understand when it comes to life and God's way of dealing with things. But the psalmist has a great point:
God instructed the Israelites to set up memorials of things that God has done. God knew that there would come a time that they would forget the greatness, the power that God has. There would come a time that new ones would come along who hadn't experienced God's greatness yet, but those who had could share the story.10 Then I thought, “To this I will appeal:
the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
11 I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
12 I will meditate on all your works
and consider all your mighty deeds.13 Your ways, O God, are holy.
What god is so great as our God?
14 You are the God who performs miracles;
you display your power among the peoples.
15 With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
There is a woman in our church who has experienced God's greatness in many ways. Her grown son is dying of cancer. But she shared her great peace and comfort that could only come through the Lord. Her witness met me and assured me of my God. He will meet us even in our anguish of soul and comfort us. He cares not only for our doings but also for our beings, our minds, our emotions. He cares for the whole kit and caboodle. It is both good to tell of what the Lord has done and to hear of what the Lord has done.
I would like to invite you to set up a memorial, a verbal, or written one right here about what the Lord has done this year for you. How has He carried you? How has He provided for you? How has He met you right where you are at?
Tomorrow's passage: Psalm 79-80, Revelation 7
2 comments:
There have been many small things along the way this year, but the one over-reaching issue we faced was financial. Some of you know we added onto our house last fall and did some renovating. Nothing fancy, just adding bedrooms so our 3 kids didn't all have to share one room, and making our tiny kitchen larger. (Just so you have some idea, the bathroom was as big as the kitchen. No, not kidding.) It took longer than expected, and because we had to first complete the renos before the financial institution would give us the money from the mortgage, we racked up all our credit. This meant we had a lot of payments to make every month, and the longer it took, the more payments we had to make and the more interest we paid. Somehow, even though our payments took almost all of our income, we still were able to make all the payments, tithe, and provide for our family. I'm still not sure how, but I know it was only with God's help.
So true that we need to purposefully remember God's goodness in our lives!
Obviously the biggest one this year is how He carried us through Baret's illness and then miraculous healing.
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