Experiencing God's Presence #177

I remember the days of old. I ponder all your great works and think about what you have done.

Psalm 143:5

One day God gave me some profound encouragement in a much-needed answer to prayer, and I thanked Him all that day. The next day, a situation came up that caused me quite a bit of stress, and I began to worry that God was going to let me down. When I recalled how encouraged I had been just a day earlier—and that the recent turn of events in no way nullified what had been true then—I realized I had a choice. I could choose to see God through the lens of disappointment, or I could choose to see Him through the lens of gratitude. I chose to embrace the attitude of the first day as a true reflection of God’s goodness and the mood of the second day as a false one.

God often allows us to be in a position to make that choice. The praises we declare one day are often challenged by circumstances the next, and that’s when we find out if we really believed what our mouths said. If our opinion of God changes with every shifting circumstance or mood, our faith is still immature. We need to let the blessings and victories of one season speak just as loudly as the appearances of the next season. If we once were convinced of God’s goodness, then we ought to remain convinced through difficult times.

The best way to do that is to remember. We easily forget past graces and focus on current stresses, but we end up with distorted perceptions when we do. Choosing to remember what God did in the past—whether it was long ago or just days or hours earlier—will give our hearts and minds the right perspective on what God is doing.

Lord, Your past works in my life remind me who You are. Remembering keeps me grounded in truth. Please help me bring them to mind often and continue to thank You for them.

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