We find ourselves once again at the threshold of a new year. With 2009 now history we are embarked upon the unopened tomorrows of 2010 with all of its uncertainties. If one did not know Christ as his Lord and Savior, and know Him as the one who orders his steps, the events of the past year should give him cause for grave concern. We, as a nation, are in a state of moral decline. We have ignored God’s commands such as “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:34) We are facing national and international turmoil with the clouds of threatening terrorism of nuclear proportions hanging very low. We seem to be teetering on the edge of global economic collapse.
This modern chaos is an age old problem that was initiated way back in the fall of man in the Garden. What we are witnessing today is a reflection of the unending struggle between God and Satan, truth and error, and good and evil. The Psalmist is teaches us, that we, as the children of God have a hope. That we can live through the various trials, and vicissitudes of life with great poise and peace as we face the future with all of its prospect and promise. However, we must not live a one-dimensional life. We are creatures of time and eternity. This being true we instinctively know that we were created for something infinitely nobler and higher than merely this sphere of time. Therefore we must live now in the context of something greater and eternal.
There are those who live only in the PAST. They do so because, often times they are fearful of the unknown future and what it might hold for them. They retreat into the past and talk about the ‘good ole days’. There have been some good days in the past but if our joy is only in the things of the past then our joy becomes our shame.
Then there are those who spend much of their time projecting into the FUTURE. They find themselves feeling condemn by their past. While they are guilt-ridden over past failures and at the same time feeling inadequate for the present, they flee into the future. Their philosophy is that everything will turn out alright in the end but they do nothing to assure the change.
There are those who live only in the PRESENT. Cynical about the past and uncertain about the future, they live only for the moment by the selfish and fatalistic maxim, “eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you die.”
A one-dimensional life leaves one empty, frustrated, disillusioned and a pathetic failure. We must make the right use of each dimension of life, all at the same time. The glory of the past and hope of the future have their reward only as we make the best use of the present. Let us, as Paul admonished in Ephesians 5:16, “redeem the time, for the days are evil.” Time is the most valuable commodity we have so we must not spend it foolishly but rather invest it wisely. The Psalmist said, “teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.” The Apostle gave us the definition and meaning to life in his own testimony in Philippians 1:21, “for to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
My text (vs. 7) brings together the 3 dimensions of life, past, present, and future:
a. They should not forget the works of God, (That is their Past).
b. They should set their hope in God, (That is their Future).
c. They should keep the commandments of God, (That is their Present)
PAST: “They should not forget the works of God.”
For the believer the past should be a memory of His blessings and miracles. We know that there have been failures in the past for all of us, but we must not be controlled by them. While we can and must learn from past failures, we must then forget them along with our successes. It we don’t we will either be paralyzed with shame or swollen with pride.
We must “Remember what God hath wrought.” Notice all the good things God had done for this people that the Psalmist listed, yet they were so unappreciative. However God was merciful and patient with them even as He is with us today.
vs.12 “Did marvelous things in Egypt”—vs.13 “Divided the Red Sea”
vs.14 “Led by a cloud by day and fire by night”—vs.15 “Water from the rock”
vs.24 “Rained down manna from heaven” (miracle after miracle)
In verses11 and 37, “Israel forgot His works,–and sinned more against Him”
Vs.38, “But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them.”
FUTURE: “Set their hope in God.”
Hope is the antonym of Despair. Hope is the expectation of future good while despair is the expectation of future evil. Hope is the posture of optimism by the Christian who remembers how God has cared for him in the past and as the unchanging God that He is, He will do the same for him in the future.
Despair sees civilization ending in the smoke of a nuclear war.
Hope says, “The Lord shall descend from heaven with a shout and we shall be caught up to meet Him in the air.”
PRESENT: “We should keep His commandments.”
The present for the Christian is enclosed by the parenthesis of memory and hope.
Mercies received and mercies expected. This is reason enough, as we face a new year to live a life of faithful loyalty and devotion to our Lord and His commandments to us!
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