Mark Virkler in his book “Communion with God” comments that, “A key to living with God is to live in the present tense.” (p55) This poem by Helen Mallicoat speaks to that, so I’d like to share it with you
I was regretting the past
And fearing the future.
Suddenly my Lord was speaking:
“My name is I Am.”
He paused. I waited. He continued,
“When you live in the past,
With its mistakes and regrets,
It is hard. I am not there.
My name is not I Was.
“When you live in the future,
With its problems and fears,
It is hard. I am not there.
My name is not I Will Be.
“When you live in this moment,
It is not hard. I am here.
My name is I Am.”
All we can do about the past is rejoice with God about the good times, look back and see some markers of where we have been, lay our guilt and brokenness at the foot of the cross, and hopefully learn from the school of consequences. The future is largely unknown and often full of fears, of which only 5% are realized (a statistic I heard somewhere). Most of the scenarios we run about our future never materialize.
Today is the day we have to live fully in the presence of Christ the King, the living God whose love is perfect, whose love cast out all fear. Today is the day we can draw down on our inheritance and hopefully learn from the school of wisdom and demonstrate the glory of God that needs an encounter with the Kingdom of God.
Mark Dewar