The Daily Devotional
Friday, March 28, 2025
Remembering the Past, Redeeming the Future
Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. (Isaiah 43:18-19)
Introduction
The past is a teacher—sometimes a comforting guide, other times a harsh reminder. When we look back, we see moments of faithfulness and courage, but we also see mistakes, failures, and even horrors done in the name of power, progress, or even faith. God does not call us to be shackled by our past, but neither does He tell us to erase it. Instead, He invites us to see how He is working through it to bring redemption and renewal.
Reflection
History is a fascinating and sometimes troubling subject. When I studied battles of the past in the military’s Air War College, I saw brilliant strategies that led to victory, but I also saw pride and miscalculations that led to tragic losses. Later, in seminary, when I studied church history, I was dumbfounded by the atrocities committed in the name of Christ—crusades, inquisitions, and divisions that contradicted the Gospel of love. It was difficult to reconcile how people who professed faith could justify such actions.
A professor once told me, "The Church is not perfect, but it is redeemable." That statement has stuck with me. The same is true for each of us. The past contains both good and evil, but ignoring or erasing it doesn’t change what happened. Instead, God calls us to acknowledge our history, learn from it, and seek His renewal.
Imagine a man carrying a heavy backpack filled with stones from his past mistakes. He struggles to move forward because the weight drags him down. Then, Christ comes and offers to take the load, not erasing his past but transforming it—turning the burdens into lessons, the failures into wisdom, and the pain into testimony.
Application
Acknowledge the Past Honestly: We must neither glorify nor erase history. Instead, we should seek truth and learn from it.
Seek Redemption Over Regret: If we only focus on past failures, we become stuck in guilt. But God invites us to move forward in His grace.
Be Part of God’s New Thing: Isaiah reminds us that God is always working on something new. No matter how dark the past has been, God is leading us toward a future of hope and redemption.
Conclusion
History serves as both a warning and a witness. We cannot change what has happened, but we can allow God to use it for His purposes. The Church, our nation, and our personal lives all carry stories of victories and failures, faithfulness and sin. Instead of erasing the uncomfortable parts, we must surrender them to Christ, who alone has the power to redeem and renew.
Prayer
Lord, You are the God of history, the present, and the future. Help us to remember with wisdom, to learn with humility, and to move forward with faith. Where we see brokenness in the past, let us trust in Your power to redeem. When we are tempted to erase the hard truths, remind us that only through acknowledging them can we grow. Make us instruments of Your renewal in this world, living as people transformed by Your grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Devotional by: Kenny Sallee, ThM — Deming, NM, USA
The Bible texts are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible (NRSV)© 1989, 1993, the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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