I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works, I muse on the work of thy hands. Psalm 143:5
A dear old friend in a nursing home is difficult to talk with because she doesn’t remember people or events, and her mind is unable to grasp much of reality anymore. But amid the sadness of her condition and her lack of awareness, there is one bright gleam that daily brings delight to her husband: when asked how she was saved, this woman quotes the verse that the Lord used to make her aware of His saving grace. With all that she has lost, this dear old saint has not lost the knowledge of her salvation or the circumstances in which she trusted Christ. Like David in today’s text, she is able to remember the days of old and what God has done for her.
One of the things that happen when we sit in a series of Gospel meetings is the searching of our own souls, a testing of ourselves to verify that we are indeed possessors of eternal life. We often relive the experience in our mind, remembering the circumstances and the way in which we were objects of the Holy Spirit’s strivings. Of all the events of our past that we recall and muse upon, none have had such an impact on the way our lives have progressed since then, or on how we will spend eternity, than that moment when we first trusted the Saviour and were washed in His blood. We daily live the reality of what transpired at our moment of conversion.
But there are many other great events that God has brought us through, and they too do, or should, have an impact on our daily life. What do you remember about your baptism? Each baptism that you have attended since has surely brought that event back to your remembrance. And with it, that reminder has repeated the lessons of baptism and how we ought to live as that ordinance professes. Our reception into the Assembly fellowship is another great moment that impacted us then, and ought to impact us daily as we live according to what our Assembly fellowship means.
Remembering the days of old is a valuable exercise, because it reminds us where God has brought us from, and where He has brought us to. It also reminds us of what we ought to be today before sinner and saint alike. How precious the gift of memory! And how wonderfully God uses it for our preservation and encouragement! -Jim MacIntosh