THE GOOD OLD DAYS

THE GOOD OLD DAYS

READ:
Psalm 143:1-6

I remember the days
of old.  -Psalm 143:5

Sometimes our minds run back through the years and yearn for that better time and place-the
"good old days."

But for some, the past harbors only bitter memories.  Deep in the night, they ponder their own failures, disillusionments, and fantasies, and think of the cruel hand life has dealt them.

It's better to remember the past as David did, by contemplating the good that God has done, to "meditate on all [His] works;...muse on the work of [His] hands" (Psalm 143:5).  As we call to mind the lovingkindness of the Lord, we can see His blessings through the years.  These are the memories that foster the highest good.  They evoke a deep longing for more of God and more of His tender care.  They transform the past into a place of familiarity and fellowship with our Lord.

I heard a story about an elderly woman who would sit in silence for hours in her rocking chair, hands folded in her lap, eyes gazing off into the far distance.  One day her daughter asked, "Mother, what do you think about when you sit there so quietly?"  Her mother replied softly with a twinkle in her eye, "That's just between Jesus and me."

I pray that our memories and meditations would draw us into His presence.  -David Roper

I have promised you My presence
With you everywhere you go;
I will never, never leave you
As you travel here below. -Rose
******************************
Fellowship with Christ is the secret
of happiness now and forever.

INSIGHT
This is one of seven penitential psalms (Psalm 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143) where the author expresses deep sorrow over sin.  These psalms are intended to help worshipers see themselves as forgiven people whose only right to enter God's presence is by His mercy.  In this psalm, David-pursued ruthlessly by an enemy and in grave danger (vv.3-4)-cried out to the Lord for mercy and deliverance (vv.1-2, 11-12), not based on his own merit (v.2) but on God's faithfulness and righteousness (vv.1, 11).  Deeply aware of his own sinfulness, David recognized that he was not qualified to stand in God's presence, "for in [His} sight no one living is righteous" (v.2).

Have a blessed day and week ahead.
God Our Creator's Love Always
Unity & Peace