Sunday, December 11

Remember…then pray

Scripture: Amos 1-2, Psalm 143, John 1

Psalm 143:5–6 

5 I remember the days of old; 

I meditate on all you have done; 

I reflect on the work of your hands. 

6 I spread out my hands to you; 

I am like parched land before you. 

Observation

I remember, I meditate, I reflect…I pray (I spread out my hands to you).

This is a consistent theme of Scripture. We are called to remember what God has done, to reflect and meditate on it. When we forget, we wander. When we reflect, we go deeper. 

Our culture wars against reflection. We live in an age of sound bites, of google answers, of constant distractions. We use all the noise to medicate ourselves, to avoid the hard work of remembering, reflecting, meditating—and honest evaluation. We mask our pain, loneliness and emptiness with more…more busyness, more screen time, more stuff to do and manage. 

As of last year, Americans averaged 9.5 hours a day in front of a screen: phone, tablet, computer, TV. We’ve lost the art of “long reading”—reading a whole book on a subject and knowing more than a sound bite or google answer. Relationships are often mediated by screens, more than in person conversations, and deep knowing. We are busy managing curated lives on social media rather than living real lives in community. Studies show our screens are actually rewiring our brains. We are more shallow. I know that our technology also brings amazing benefits that I enjoy. But every benefit has a cost, and we seem blind to those costs. 

And one of those costs is time to remember, meditate, reflect. 

Application

I think this verse spoke to me this morning because last night Laina and I watched Jesus Revolution, a new movie coming to theaters on February 24, 2023. It’s the story of the Jesus Movement in the 1960’s-70’s. The story centers on Chuck Smith, founder of Calvary Chapel; Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship; and Lonnie Frisbee, one of the early influencers in the Jesus People movement. Of course, Laina and I lived through that revival and were part of it, so the movie (highly recommended) stirred up lots of great memories. (I see the irony of what I’m writing—suggesting more screen time…to remember!)

It made me want to “remember the days of old,” and what God did then. And it made me pray for God to “do it again!” I know it won’t be a replica or a repeat, but I’m praying for a revival, for God to move among us and bring a fresh wave of young people into His kingdom!

Prayer: Lord, every time I remember what You’ve done, I pray, “Do it again…even bigger and better this time!”