Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced. (Psalm 105:4-5)
Today and Monday we will close out yet another year of Grace for Your Race. Today I want to encourage you to take a backward glance over the past year — to remember and reflect on the many and multiplied wonders God has done in your life. On Monday we will look forward to the starting line of another year . . . and crossing the finish line of 2025, if God is so pleased to give us that time here.
Someone wisely observed that “It is difficult to climb to the summit of the mountain when you are always looking over your shoulder.” Yet the backward glance is extremely beneficial for the believer, so as to be reminded of all that God has done. Yes, that look back must be brief if we are going to make forward progress throughout 2025. But make no mistake, it is the best way to close out another year of blessings that God has bestowed upon us.
A backward glance is not the same as walking backward. We cannot go back, nor should we want to. God is moving us forward into His perfect plan and purpose for our lives, even though we live that plan out imperfectly. I have said it here before, but it bears repeating: We must always treat the past as a school. We are to learn the lessons from our past, but not live there. Far too many live in the past, which prohibits any measurable forward progress. But this is not for you!
Take some time this weekend to reflect on the past year. Make sure your backward glance includes both your successes and your storms. There is much to glean from both life experiences, because God has given us both in order to conform us into the image and likeness of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Let your backward glance bring to mind God’s . . .
- Faithfulness and friendship
- Discipline and devotion
- Mercy and ministry
- Love and leading
Your brief backward glance will encourage you and strengthen you to set out on another year with Jesus sitting on the throne of your life, guiding you through every twist and turn and growing you through every up and down . . . every step of the way.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 
Dear Pastor Tommy: You wrote, “We must always treat the past as a school. We are to learn the lessons from our past, but not live there. Far too many live in the past, which prohibits any measurable forward progress. But this is not for you!”
AMEN! Facing me at my kitchen sink is a framed portion of Oswald Chambers’s December 31 “Yesterday” devotional: “Our yesterdays present irreparable things to us; it is true that we have lost opportunities which will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future. Let the past sleep, but let it sleep on the bosom of Christ. Leave the Irreparable Past in His hands, and step out into the Irresistible Future with Him.” This has helped me tremendously in navigating traumatic storms over the past few years, and in fighting The Battle Of The F-Words: Faith Over Fear/Feelings! And we must never forget that the Lord God Almighty is sovereign in ordaining everything that comes to pass…blessings as well as blights.