Isaiah 43:18 “Forget the former things;
    do not dwell on the past.”

Recently I have read that nostalgia was long considered a very negative thing, but today we speak of “the good old days.” We have a song about it, Those Were the Days, and it very wisely suggests that we “choose to forget” the negative things about the past. Of course, some people are caught in the opposite situation, with PTSD from past experiences dragging them down. PTSD was first recognized in those returning from war, but it also happens with those who have been the victims of violence of various sorts, either deliberate or accidental. We are certainly molded by what we experience, but what God is saying here is that we aren’t to be anchored to the past. A ship at anchor has stability, but it’s not going anywhere!　God is always leading us forward, closer to Himself, and we can miss a great deal by being too attached to the past. It’s not that we aren’t to appreciate the past and be grateful for God’s grace and mercy to us, but rather that we are always to be looking forward to what He has for us next. Of course, the ultimate thing He has for us is heaven, but we aren’t to be so caught up in thinking about that that we miss all He has for us right now, either! All of us have failures, things we regret in our past, but God is the God of new beginnings, even as He says right at the end of the Bible: “He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’” (Revelation 21:5) We are to be grateful for the past and learn from it, but keep remembering that God, who never changes, is at the same time the God of the new.

At 76, it is very easy to get caught up in nostalgia in its various forms, both the good things and the bad, so this is a Word to me! I am to keep moving forward, knowing that my end is eternity and being happy with that. I am in the process of writing my autobiography, which is in a way nostalgia personified, but my motive is to bless my readers and glorify God by recording His grace to me. I have been considered an underachiever most of my life because of how little I have done with the enormous quantity of blessings the Lord has poured out on me, and it would be easy to get caught up in regret over good that I haven’t done, but that too must be released to my Lord. I know people personally who are chained to their past in various ways, and in every instance it is sad. As God said, He makes everything new! It’s kind of like how my lower teeth are uneven, and my tongue tends to “play with” the unique spots. That can feel good for a moment, but keeping it up quickly makes my tongue sore, and it doesn’t change my teeth! I need to release both my past and my future into God’s hands, knowing that His plans are the very best.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I do pray for those who are currently trapped by the past, that they would be able to trust You enough to believe that You are greater than all their wounds, all their failures, so that they may move into what You have for them now, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!