Even though the Bible declares that “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning”, (Lamentations 3.22-23) we still sometimes find ourselves feeling very “old” spiritually. We can remember the warmth of times when we sensed God’s presence more closely, the newness of learning certain truths about God and the fullness of former seasons of fervent prayer. But those memories can haunt us when we feel spiritually cold in the present. If we are honest, there are times when God’s mercies do not feel very new. The devotional below is an excerpt from Charles Spurgeon’s Morning By Morning in which he talks about how we are tempted to dwell on the mercies of the past rather than looking forward to God’s new mercies:
"How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me.” Job 29.2
Many Christians view their past with pleasure, but are dissatisfied with the present. They look back on days gone by when their communion with the Lord was the sweetest and the best they have ever known, but see the present as though it is clothed in a dark coat of gloom and dreariness. Once they lived close to Jesus, but now they feel that they have wandered away from Him, and find themselves saying, "How I long for the months gone by.” They complain that they have lost assurance of their faith, they have no peace of mind, they no longer find enjoyment in the ways of grace, their conscience has lost its tenderness, or they lack their former zeal to glorify God.
The causes of this sad condition are many. It can arise due to neglecting prayer, for a neglected prayer closet is the beginning of all spiritual decline. It can be the result of idolatry when the affections of the heart have been focused more on things on earth than on the things of heaven and God Himself. A “jealous God” (Exodus 20.5) will never be content with a divided heart, for He must be loved first and above all else. He will withdraw the sunshine of His presence from a cold, wandering heart. Or we may find the cause to be self-confidence and self-righteousness, for when pride is at work in the heart, self is exalted instead of being humbled at the foot of the cross.
Dear Christian, if you are not as you once were in “the months gone by," do not be satisfied with simply wishing for a return to your former happiness. Go at once to seek your Master, and tell Him of your sad condition. Ask for His grace and strength to help you to walk more closely with Him. “Humble yourself before the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4.10), and He will once again allow you to enjoy the light of His countenance. Do not sit down only to grieve and cry, for since the beloved Physician lives there is hope – more than that – there is a certainty of recovery for even the worst cases.*
There is both challenge and encouragement in Spurgeon’s words. We are to be thankful for God’s past provision and for memories of precious experiences of His goodness, but our greatest provision is always ahead of us. Philippians 3 reminds us that we are pressing on toward a heavenly prize. That is an upward goal. God always gives us more not less than we ask … He never gives us left over mercies. They are new every day.
* Look Unto Me: The Devotions of Charles Spurgeon.Zondervan (October 7, 2008). p. 224.
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