How to Have Confidence in God's Faithfulness Today!

At the age of 110, Joshua called all of Israel together for a final challenge to them before his death.  It was during this time that he utters those words that we often declare even today, "Choose you this day who you will serve but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord."  Below is a brief video clip of a portion of my remarks about this very passage given last Sunday morning here at Gaylord E-Free as part of our Resolution Sunday in which dozens of men publicly made a resolution to live as men of spiritual courage.

But before the aged Joshua gets to that call for courageous commitment, he first begins by taking Israel on a tour of their national history.  He goes all the way back to Abraham and them moves them to Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses.  Each step of the journey he reminds them of the faithfulness of God toward them all along the way.  Why does he do this?  I think there is a very important principle at the heart of his words.

If you want to have confidence in the faithfulness of God for your present, take time to remember the faithfulness of God in your past!

That principle stayed with me Monday afternoon in the office.  As a result, I did something I have not done in  about a year and a half.  I pulled up on my computer the document of the journal that I kept back in 2010 when I went through the most difficult time of hurt I have ever experienced.  During that time I kept a pretty detailed journal of exactly what was happening and what God was teaching me through it.  

Honestly, I have not opened that file since 2010 came to an end, but today I felt compelled to revisit it.  I spent a considerable portion of time reading the first 100 pages of this journal.  As I did, I wasn't sure it would be a good thing for me to do or not.  Would it rip open the scabs that have done considerable healing?  To my relief, it was a very good and profitable exercise.  I found myself on several occasions through this reading smiling and saying aloud, "WOW!  God I had forgotten what You did for me right there!"  Reading this journal reminded me of a very difficult time in my life, but the result was a greater confidence that I can trust God in my life today.  

If you want to have confidence in the faithfulness of God for your present, take time to remember the faithfulness of God in your past!