echoes of my past
Jul 23rd, 2007 by Nathanael
When we are speaking with someone who’s beating themselves up over their past, we are quick to remind them that “the past is the past.” And yet the reality is our past plays a huge role in who we are today. Our Lord says He willingly forgets my past when I am His child. He says as far as the east from the west, He has removed my transgressions from me. (Psalm 103:12) But I can still remember them. And the memories of our past sins affect us to the point that they define our view of ourselves and our view of God.
When Nathan the prophet came to king David to confront him about his sin of adultery and murder, and once David realized Nathan was speaking about him, he said, “I have sinned against the LORD” (II Samuel 12:13). And Nathan’s next words were, “The LORD has taken away your sin.” Done. Just like that, our amazingly humble God willingly chose to forgive His son David to the point that He actually put David’s sin so far from His mind that He cannot remember it anymore. In the LORD’s eyes, David did not commit adultery with Bathsheba or kill her husband. But for the rest of his life, David remembered his sin. And the Psalms are full of pictures into David’s heart. They show us how he worshipped his God because of the depth of grace and mercy that the Lord showed him.
Grace is made sweeter when we realize how much we need it.
Echoes of my past like ghosts
Sometimes return to haunt me.
The strongholds that I fear the most
Rear their ugly heads and boast,
They tempt and tease and taunt me.
Try as I may, I can’t pretend
They’ll go away if ignored.
The memories of my former sins,
Like voices of familiar friends,
Remind me what I was before.
Yet above their voices I hear
The voice of my Savior, Jesus Christ.
“I bled and died for these sins you fear,
And rose so they have no power here.
I’ve broken their bondage and vice.
“What’s in the past is in the past.
Press forward into present grace.
Embrace each day like it’s your last,
Grab onto grace and hold it fast.
Your sins are gone without a trace.
“Nothing you do can separate
You from our home in heaven.
But in the meantime, you must wait,
And show this world our family traits,
And walk in the joy of being forgiven.”
.
So press forward into present grace.
