How can I benefit most from the past?

Psalm 143:5I remember the days of old. I ponder all your great works and think about what you have done.

Galatians 2:19-21My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.

Remembering our past helps us to recall what God has done for us. Every past work of God is an assurance for the future. This is particularly true of the past work of Jesus on the cross and how it applies to us as repentant sinners so that we can now live a new life—forgiven and renewed. You still live in this world with its troubles, but the life within you is the eternal life Christ gave you.

Exodus 10:2“You can tell your children and grandchildren about how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and about the signs I displayed among them—and so you will know that I am the Lord.”

The past gives you opportunities to tell others about God’s actions in biblical history and your own life. What audiences do you have for telling the story about what God has done for you.

2 Kings 17:22-23The people of Israel persisted in all the evil ways of Jeroboam. They did not turn from these sins until the Lord finally swept them away from his presence, just as all his prophets had warned. So Israel was exiled from their land to Assyria, where they remain to this day.

Zechariah 1:4“Don’t be like your ancestors who would not listen or pay attention when the earlier prophets said to them, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Turn from your evil ways, and stop all your evil practices.’”

1 Corinthians 10:10-11Don’t grumble as some of them [the Israelites] did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death. These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.

God’s written Word is a permanent record of his past actions and the truth God wants you to know. The past helps you learn from others and prevents you from making the same mistakes they did.

Ecclesiastes 7:10Don’t long for “the good old days.” This is not wise.

Philippians 3:13No, dear brothers and sisters, I [Paul] have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,

While remembering the past can be healthy, living in the past is not. Dwelling on (or in) the past leaves us constantly vulnerable to the shame and sin hiding in our history. We can enjoy fond memories and learn from past mistakes, but we shouldn’t focus on the past because we cannot change it. Living in the past will cause us to miss today’s good possibilities.

Deuteronomy 32:7“Remember the days of long ago; think about the generations past. Ask your father, and he will inform you. Inquire of your elders, and they will tell you.”

Psalm 78:1-4O my people, listen to my instructions. . . . I will teach you hidden lessons from our past—stories we have heard and known, stories our ancestors handed down to us. We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders.

Isaiah 42:23Who will hear these lessons from the past and see the ruin that awaits you in the future?

Lamentations 3:19-24The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”

From the past we learn wise lessons of God at work. We also learn from others—what worked well and what didn’t. We learn not to repeat failure and how to build on success. We are reminded of God’s past faithfulness so we can be encouraged to trust him today.