Remember, Lord, Your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to Your love remember me, for You, Lord, are good. (Psalm 25:5-7)
I love the Psalms, as they cover every emotion and religious experience, from despair to praise and from fear to rejoicing. Some say they are difficult, but life is difficult, and so the book of Psalms is great for dipping into and finding the right one for you. This one is about remembering – remembering the past failures in our lives and dealing with them.
What do you think about during the Two Minutes’ Silence on Remembrance Sunday? Perhaps you don’t think about anything? I find it helpful to think about the war dead. I used to do some research into local men who were casualties and had some photographs taken from newspapers or sent home. These memories added some personalities and characteristics to the names on memorials.
I also think of members of my own family, who lived through the wars, and the experiences they had. Most did not go off to serve away from home, but lived through the blackouts, Blitz, evacuation, and rationing. My grandfather left a photograph of some comrades and had written on the back a request to ‘keep this safe’, which we have, for over one hundred years! I also remember, with thanks, the comparatively peaceful lives we have had.
There are some things we do not want to remember, usually bad things we have done or had done to us, but when we turn our memories over to God, we are asking God to be merciful and loving, for although we make mistakes we can appeal to His enduring love.
David Pickup
Feature Image: Wikicommons (P.D.)