Keep Me in the Moment
“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert”.
ISAIAH 43:18-19
Too often, we are tempted to allow the burdens of this world to con- sume us with stress and doubt, that eventually lead to fear. We are very quick to forget all of the amazing things that have happened in our life, and instead focus on all of the negativity that surrounds us.
How many of us remember that he was thrown in jail because he preached the Gospel of Christ boldly, and when told that he could not share the Gospel anymore, responded with a direct and honest answer:
“Then they called them in again and commanded them not
to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! 20 As for us, we cannot help speak- ing about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:18-20)
When we fixate on the negative, we miss out on the positive. When I was outside this morning, I happened to be down by the river. From a negative standpoint, I could have focused on the fact that it was cloudy. The sun wasn’t shining, and it was a little chilly. All of those traits could have made my time terrible. But instead, I chose to focus on the positive. I saw a mama duck with her babies swimming in the canal. I saw birds flying over the river. I saw people smiling as they exercised. I saw squirrels chasing each other, and dogs running after a stick. The best part was that I was able to spend some time with amaz- ing people on a Facebook Live Bible Study.
My point is that we tend to hang out in negativity. Let’s change that up a little bit. Let’s focus on the positive. And let’s do that right now. The Bible tells us in Joshua to “choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15
The context of that passage is a great one for us to examine. The people of God were being reminded by Joshua that it was God who brought them out of Egypt. It was God who delivered all of the ene- mies that they encountered into their hands as they defeated them. It was God who gave them a land with cities that they did not build, but could now dwell in, and vineyards that they did not plant but could benefit from. They now had a choice. They could worship the false gods of before, or embrace the true God. Joshua tells them that he will worship God alone.
We need to examine the same truths in our own lives. It is God who has blessed us thus far. It is God who has loved us thus far. It is God who has given to us when we are in need thus far. When we embrace who God is and what He is doing right now, we are no longer con- sumed by fear because we aren’t looking into the future, wondering how everything will work out in our lives. Instead, we are embracing the fact that God has us right now. He is there to guide and protect us in this moment.
Isaiah 41:10 states, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
The prophet Isaiah is reminding the people that God will bring about restoration. He will bring strength and help when it is needed. He will uphold us! There is not anything in this world that can separate us from God!