“I am the Lord, and I do not change…”  – Malachi 3:6

Question for the day:  “Do I really know God well enough to trust what He is doing in my life?”

Friends,

We are looking at John Wesley’s Quadrilateral this week, trying to reconcile what we believe (each of us) with our reasons for doing so.  Yesterday we talked about scripture, and how it creates the foundation of our beliefs as Methodists.

Today, we are looking at our own life experiences.  Specifically, when dealing with matters of faith, Wesley would encourage us to ask the question, “Is this belief/understanding I have supported by my past experiences with God?”

The problem I have with this is that I have a hard time remembering my past experiences with God.  I have a very short memory.  When I have a problem or an issue that I am working through, I am so eager to seek God’s help.  However, after He provides me with a solution, it doesn’t take me very long to go about my merry way and forget His kindness.  

The downside of living this way is that EVERY time I get scared or worried about something, it normally takes a while for me to fall back into my “SEEK GOD,” mode.  Normally I worry and stay consumed with a problem for way too long before I remember whose child I am.

The Israelites had this problem too if you recall.  They would call out to God, with great need. He would graciously answer, and then a few days later they would forget and become complainers again (sounds like me…)  But God taught them to do something to help them through the hard times.  

After many such deliverances, God instructed the people to set up monuments, or reminders, of His faithfulness.  That way, the next time they encountered difficulty, it wouldn’t be quite so overwhelming.  They did this with what they had on hand, rocks.  Several times it is recorded in scripture that the Israelites used large stones to be build memorials to remind them of the story of God’s protection and provision.  And God would always say, “When your children ask you the meaning of these stones, tell them about the time when…..”

I have tried this on my own and it works incredibly well.  Only, I don’t use stones.  I use a small journal.  I record answered prayers, divine messages from God, and all those occasions that I have seen God work for my good in this life.  I would share that after 10 years of this activity, it is my most trusted link to God.  Because I can go back and read of things that happened in years past that I have forgotten by now.  But they remind me that God is God, He never changes, and He is always faithful to take care of me.

Friends, it doesn’t have to be a journal.  I encourage you to find some way of remembering those times in which You see God at work in your life.  It could be pictures, or poems, or sketch pads, anything that allows you to record your thoughts.  I believe you would find a gold mine of “God touches” that you can use to sustain your faith in the challenging times.  This is the way that I have always been able to say, without a doubt, that “God is in this situation with me & He is working for my good.”  

It is a wonderful feeling, regardless of what I am experiencing.

Gracious Father,

Blessed be the One who comes in the name of the Lord!  Blessed be the One who brings peace beyond all understanding.  Blessed be the One, who rises with healing in His wings.

Oh my Lord, You hold me in Your victorious right hand.  My only experiences of You have been of protection, provision, grace, mercy, and unending love.  Forgive me when I forget those times.  Forgive me when I allow fear and worry to overtake my mind.  Help me, Lord, to hang onto those times that You have carried me – that they might be a witness to me and others in the days to come.

In the name of Jesus Christ I pray,

Amen