The Good Ol’ Days

If you have been walking with the Lord long enough, you can recall times when He seemed distant from you. You can also remember those pleasant seasons when your load was light, your burden was easy, and your heart beat for nothing smaller than Jesus. But there have also been those times when you found yourself in somewhat of a spiritual wasteland, just like Job. 

Job continued his discourse: “How l long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me, when his lamp shone upon my head and by his light I walked through darkness! Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house.” (Job 29:1-4)

If you are familiar with the story of Job, you know about the terrible tragedies he faced. And here we see him longing for you and I might call “the good ol’ days,” when his intimacy with God was the anchor of his soul. But after so much suffering, God seemed distant and heaven was silent. Because we know the whole story, we know that Job did not invite any of his difficulties because of unrighteous behavior.

Today you and I often find ourselves longing for “the good ol’ days” because we have been “bad” recently! Now, “bad” has many different shades. Sometimes we simply neglect the wonderful means of grace God has given us that bring us into the presence of God in a very special way: We miss church, we neglect prayer, we are inconsistent in our Bible study. These omissions always leave us feeling empty, wanting, and longing for that feeling we had when we were diligent in our spiritual disciplines.

Sometimes it is a matter of idolatry; we have removed Jesus from the throne of our lives and and allowed something smaller than Him to sit there. The prophet Jeremiah hit that proverbial nail squarely on the head:

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9)

One minute our heart is beating for Jesus, and the next minute it is beating for a thousand other things. We are in a constant battle with divided affections; when our affections are divided, God will eventually step in and give us what we need to reorient our hearts back toward Him. Most often, He will give us a glimpse of “the good ol’ days” to help us get our lives back on track. 

Spiritual pride can also give us a sense of separation from the presence of our God. Self-love will always cast a shadow over our Savior. To be sure, Jesus is shining as bright as ever, but our pride has made our spiritual eyes grow dim.

So if you currently find yourself feeling separated from your Savior, what should you do? Recognize that your longing for “the good ol’ days” is God’s call to you to return to Him! Run to Jesus and seek His face; know that He never left your side. Remember, when God feels distant, we can be sure of one thing: God never moved . . . we did. Cry out to Jesus, and rejoice in the truth that no matter how “good” those ol’ days might have been, the best is yet to come. 

This is the Gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT…AMEN!