"Till now the LORD has helped us." 1 Samuel 7:12 ESV
This past week I celebrated 35 years since the Lord's saving grace and love broke through in a 21 year old boy's life in late December 1974. It has caused me to be very reflective about my journey thus far towards Jesus Christ and eternal life.
I think that 1 Samuel 7:12 is my testimony scripture to describe my journey and also the battle cry for the rest of my life. This can also be a great encouragement and anchor for you too, as we end 2009 and enter the new year.
The words “til now” point in the direction of the past. For thirty five years the Lord I can say "till now the Lord has helped me." The Lord is so faithful. He never has left or forsaken me. He has been with me always. Jesus has helped!” He has helped me through trials, temptations, and tribulations, through my many failings and fallings, through surceases and accomplishments, through weaknesses and immaturity, through poverty and prosperity economically and spiritually, through sickness,and health, through perseverance and collapsing, at home and abroad, in fatigue and vitality, in great sorrow and great joy, in pain and in pleasure, in weakness and in strength, in defeat and victory, in foolishness, in wisdom, in ministry failures and triumphs, in great disappointments and in great surprises, in rejection and abandonment by man and in faithful friendships, in loneliness and in comfort, in utter cluelessness and in amazing insight, in praise, in prayer, in service, in love “till now the Lord has helped me” and He has helped you!
Look back at this past year and your life. Do you not see His amazing grace and enduring mercies over you? Do you see His faithfulness even when you were faithless? Do you not see His timely grace that helped you each and every moment? Do you see his accepting love for you in spite of yourself? Do you see all the good gifts that He has lavished you from above? Do you see the grace He poured out to you when all you deserved was wrath? Surely there must be so many mercies and graces that you can talk and sing and shout about that "Till now the Lord has helped me"
John Piper says that endings are for gratitude and beginnings are for faith. Every moment, hour, day, and year ends and a new moment, hour, day, and year begins. Can you look back to your life and give thanks? Can you look back to 2009 and give praise? Can you see the Lord's hand and say "till now the Lord has helped me"?
Today after thirty years of being a Christian I look ahead by faith to the rest of my life. Specifically, I look ahead to 2010. The word "till now" also points us forward. I can speak of what the Lord has done till now but it also reminds me that my life is not over yet. It says of David in Acts 13:36 "For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers." Because we can say "till now" we are not yet at the end, there is still a distance to be traveled. that is going to mean for each of us more trials, more joys; more temptations, more triumphs; more prayers, more answers; more work, more strength; more fights, more victories; and then come will come the day of our death.
Is your life over now? No! there is more yet-awakening in Jesus’ likeness. There is more growing in the grace and knowledge of Him. There are whole new dimensions of the length, height, width, and depth of His love to experience. There is till work to be done for Jesus while on this earth.
As you enter into the New Year be of good courage and great expectant anticipation for your life, give your past sins, your present burdens, and your future worries and fears with grateful confidence that...
He who has helped me till now
Will help me all through my journey in 2010 and beyond!
Looking back with gratitude and looking forward in faith,
Pastor Bill
1 comment:
Thank you Pastor Bill, for your testimony, your teaching, your prayers, and encouragement, and also your discipline and holding me to accountability! I also want to Thank you for your willingness to be transparent with your fellow brothers and sisters and your willingness to listen!
Your Weekly Update was as encouraging as your message out of Hebrews last Sunday, and your blog is Awesome as well!
God has indeed helped me and will help me! I know this by faith, and also have seen it with my own eyes this past year. I look forward to the coming year, and I found the questions you wrote in you update to be challenging, and I am going to put them somewhere so I can keep track of my growth this New Year!
I pray for The Lighthouse and all that come to worship there, and the body of Christ, that we will run the race well this coming year, and look back at the hills we have climbed and the valleys we have been in and we will count it all joy!
May God bless you and keep you Pastor Bill, the Church needs more Pastors like you!
God bless!
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