by Shannon Perrett
Recently I had a very rare opportunity to spend a day all by myself at the beach. Armed with my Bible, a notebook, a pen and a water bottle, I set out to spend the day in silent reading, reflection and retreat. It was reasonably early when I arrived at my beach of choice and so I decided to take a walk. I just love walking on the beach and feeling the sand between my toes. There is something about the crystal-clear ocean and its vast horizon that speaks of the majestic nature God.
As I started walking, my eyes settled on a cove at the other end of the beach and I decided that I would walk there and back and just enjoy God’s amazing creation and spend some time in prayer with my Creator. Halfway along, my legs started to get pretty tired and my calves started to complain about the soft sand. But I was determined to reach the goal that I had set for myself and so I pushed through and made my way to the end of the beach that I had seen in the distance earlier.
I finally reached my goal of walking the 5km beach front (which feels a whole lot longer when walking on sand!) and sat down to rest on a grassy bank. As I glanced back towards the other end of the beach, it suddenly dawned on me that I would have to walk all the way back. In my excitement and enthusiasm to reach a destination, I had totally forgot to factor in the return trip.
As I sat, tired, hot and hungry, I felt God whisper into my spirit, “Look at how far I have got you, if I have got you here, I can do it again.” And knew, in my heart, that those words weren’t just referring to my walk on the beach. They were also very pertinent to obstacles that had recently come up along the path of my life.
Parenting teenagers through school stress and societal issues that I never had to deal with at their age; walking with my Mum over the rocky path of her cancer journey; financial pressures from loss of income due to COVID cut-backs; holding the hand of a loved one as they continually fight off the ‘black dog’ of depression.
Sitting on the beach one random Wednesday, I knew that God had taken me on this walk for a purpose. He wanted me to show me that if I looked back to where I had come from, and what He had previously walked me through, I could walk back down the beach with a full confidence that if He had done it before, He would do again.
The writer of Psalms encourages us repeatedly to remember the Lord and everything He had done.
Ps 77:11-12 I will remember the works of the LORD; yes, I will remember Your wonders of old. I will reflect on all You have done and ponder Your mighty deeds.
Psalm 143:5I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands.
Psalm 78:4 We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.
Moses, in his final address to the Israelites, tells them to remember to remember. “Only be careful,” Moses warns, “and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.” (Deut 4:9, my emphasis throughout).
God uses act of remembering to remember, to encourage the Israelites that whatever He has done for them in the past, He can and will do it again. He instructs to make sure that they tell the next generation the ‘praiseworthy deeds of the Lord’ so that they can be encouraged and know who God is and the miracles He does.
I don’t about you, but approaching middle age, my memory isn’t exactly what it used to be. My girls have learned not to be offended when I go to ask a question and have to first ask, “What’s your name again?” I find myself having to write things down, making sure I put appointments on the wall and phone calendar. I also have started a special journal to record the ‘praiseworthy deeds of the Lord’. Because I know that forgetting is just human nature, I make a point of recording what God has done for me. I endeavour to remind myself of His faithfulness, because I know that what He has done before, He’ll do it again.
In the words of the Elevation Worship song -
Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I'm still in Your hands
This is my confidence, You never failed me yet
I've seen You move, come move the mountains
And I believe, I'll see You do it again
You made a way, where there was no way
And I believe, I'll see You do it again.
Shannon lives Far North QLD, with her husband and 3 gorgeous girls. After serving for 6 years in Papua New Guinea, her family relocated to Mareeba where they continue to work with Mission Aviation Fellowship. Shannon is thrilled to be part of the Anew Conference team. She is passionate about encouraging women to pursue their God given identity in all seasons of life – especially the chaotic ones!
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