THE MEMORY OF GOD
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“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” Psalm 139:7-9
Oswald Chambers, the great Scottish Pastor wrote: “It is not God’s promises we need as much as it is God Himself.” We don’t just need a “word” about God we need “His WORD,” His own presence given to us through the Holy Spirit. Dear Lyndale Family and Friends, I heard At Sunday School that several of you are stuck in quarantine right now with COVID… and I want you to know that we miss you, are praying for you and taking you before God’s throne asking for His protection and healing over you… This little devotion is meant specifically for you! I pray you will find it encouraging and comforting… We love y’all and can’t wait to have you back with us- together in person as we are in spirit!
There are several family shows on TV that are all focused on nostalgia- Happy Days, The Wonder Years, This is Us… But what they’re really all about is “the memory, the memories of us”. Memories take us back to the one not present- to a time, event, emotion, feelings, and atmosphere that while being made, registered greatly in our hearts by that loved one’s presence- memories being made… Unbeknownst to us they were being stored in our private treasure house for the future- to come back to us when we needed them most, when we needed to reestablish connections and relationships that have been dormant for some time or when we are in need of hope and encouragement. I think of when I was a boy- playing on a hillside with my friends, my bare feet on the wet cool grass, the soft cool wind against my face- the sky deepening into rich hues of purple and scarlet as the sun set. Warm light from our kitchen window and the delicious smell of Potato Soup, and fresh biscuits wafted out from the open door as the figure of my grandmother came out on the porch to call me in for supper. Those memories I find comforting when I’m eating a meal alone or a meal I’d rather forget that is not near as good as Grandma’s Potato soup and biscuits! My Grandma’s been in Heaven for years now, but I still feel she is here with me when I think of those meals! A loved-one’s presence remembered then “re-membered” to us by our memories and reflections.
As precious, and priceless, as hopeful and comforting as this is, David the Psalmist reminds us it pales in comparison to “The Memory of God”. The Old Testament and the New is full of the Memory of God. Memory of His Faithfulness, Memory of His Love, Memory of His Cross and Resurrection- living, dying, and rising for us which has made eternal life and relationship with Him possible through the Gospel. But unlike memory of others that can fail or be incomplete, The Memory of God is from the inside out (2 Cor 4:16-18; Rom 8:26-27). It is not a fill in for His absence but an assurance of His very real presence with us this very moment… As the old hymn says- “In this very room!!” It is the beauty of serving an Omnipresent God who not only promises never to leave us nor forsake us (Rom 8:38-39) but is constantly there and available to us in the midst of our hardships, in the midst of our troubles (Ps 46), sharing in our sorrows, our pain and our hopes while seeing us and guiding us through life all the way home to Heaven. Oh, LORD where can we flee from your presence? Nowhere, and in no way! Lean into His presence with you today in worship and prayer for He cares for you. We are never alone when we have Jesus for The Memory of God always leads us to The Ever Presence of God. Don’t give up!
Love in Christ always, and all the Best!
Darrin.