(today's reading from "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers)
Yesterday
You shall not go out with haste, . . . for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard —Isaiah 52:12
Security from Yesterday. ". . . God requires an account of what is past" ( Ecclesiastes 3:15 ). At the end of the year we turn with eagerness to all that God has for the future, and yet anxiety is apt to arise when we remember our yesterdays. Our present enjoyment of God’s grace tends to be lessened by the memory of yesterday’s sins and blunders. But God is the God of our yesterdays, and He allows the memory of them to turn the past into a ministry of spiritual growth for our future. God reminds us of the past to protect us from a very shallow security in the present.
Security for Tomorrow. ". . . the Lord will go before you . . . ." This is a gracious revelation— that God will send His forces out where we have failed to do so. He will keep watch so that we will not be tripped up again by the same failures, as would undoubtedly happen if He were not our "rear guard." And God’s hand reaches back to the past, settling all the claims against our conscience.
Security for Today. "You shall not go out with haste . . . ." As we go forth into the coming year, let it not be in the haste of impetuous, forgetful delight, nor with the quickness of impulsive thoughtlessness. But let us go out with the patient power of knowing that the God of Israel will go before us. Our yesterdays hold broken and irreversible things for us. It is true that we have lost opportunities that will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future. Let the past rest, but let it rest in the sweet embrace of Christ.
Leave the broken, irreversible past in His hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him.
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Funny thing…I posted this just before I headed out for work this morning. I was planning to add more to it but didn’t quite have the time. Well, in my hurry to get to work on time I rushed out the door. It was raining and sleeting this morning (as I had already been warned by my sister about the slipperiness of it all and to take my time going to work because the roads were icy). Well, there I went out the door rushing to my car because I hadn’t left as early as I’d originally planned. My bags in one hand and umbrella in the other…in my heels, I stepped onto the sidewalk and bam! My rear end hits the ground and my umbrella flips inside out. It wasn’t painful, but rather funny in my mind knowing how silly I must’ve looked. Perhaps God is the only one who was watching, but He also was speaking to me as well. SLOW DOWN. YOU SHALL NOT GO OUT WITH HASTE…Another reminder from the Lord straight to me.
God has been using my current circumstances to teach me to wait on Him. He’s been strengthening my faith through struggles; and I can’t say I always react as I should in faith and in joy, but God is very patient and loving. When I try to hurry things because I think it must be right or I don’t have time, He lets me “slip on the sidewalk” and reminds me to be still and listen to His voice. The Lord also uses these “slip-ups” to speak to us I believe…We learn from our mistakes as Oswald Chambers said about our yesterdays, “He allows the memory of them to turn the past into a ministry of spiritual growth for our future.” In my icy sidewalk situation I was also reminded to take it slow on my way to work so I didn’t end up in a greater predicament like running my car off the road or something much worse than a bent umbrella and a wet bottom. :-)
You shall not go out with haste, . . . for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard —Isaiah 52:12
I thought about this particular verse from Isaiah throughout my day and just thanked God for going before me and coming behind me. We may not always understand what He is doing, but He is in control. We must follow His leading as He goes ahead of us as our shepherd. We must let Him back us up as we wait on Him and His timing. He is God. :-) I am so thankful that He is my God! How awesome He is!
"The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe." Proverbs 18:10
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5,6
"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." Psalm 18:32
I truly enjoyed reading your blog, Rachel. Thank you for your witness and encouragement. Linda Kennard
ReplyDeleteGod also has a sense of humor...I'm glad you weren't hurt when you slipped and that it made you more cautious in your driving.
ReplyDeleteIt is encouraging to be reminded that God goes before us, He covers our past, and He is preparing our future. So much to ponder...Love you, Rachel!
Thank you Linda for taking the time to read this and for your encouragement and friendship as well. I look up to you and your husband as Godly examples and am so thankful to know you as we share our common bond in Christ. And Aunt Shelly I love you too and yes, so much to ponder...God is in control always and is not a God of confusion. He never leaves our side. I know this and it sustains me. I love you too!
ReplyDeleteRachel,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you weren't hurt in your fall...and equally glad you used the experience to learn more than the practical aspect and to share it here! Thanks. Definately speaks to me, as I have been convicted of that very thing lately. I feel like I'm always rushing and hurrying and rarely take the time to slow down. I've made an effort the past week or so to just stop and listen and be still for a bit. What a difference it makes in our life when we can slow enough to hear the whisper of our Savior. When we are going full speed there is often too much wind to hear that still small voice.