{"id":12929,"date":"2025-01-01T08:53:28","date_gmt":"2025-01-01T13:53:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/?p=12929"},"modified":"2025-01-01T08:54:40","modified_gmt":"2025-01-01T13:54:40","slug":"leaving-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/2025\/01\/leaving-2024.html","title":{"rendered":"LEAVING 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cBut you will not leave in haste
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0or go in flight;
for the\u00a0Lord\u00a0will go before you,
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0the God of Israel will be your rear guard\u201d (Isaiah 52:12 NIV).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve all heard the cliche, \u201cOut with the old, and in with the new.\u201d Yet, people are not computers with hard drives that can be erased and new software installed. We remember. Even though the calendar may have changed to a new year, many of us remain stuck in the past. The dearer the loss, the deeper the engrained sorrow. The greater the pain, the more lingering its intense memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some were married or had a child in 2024. Some got that promotion at work or were finally able to buy their first home. The year 2024 was a milestone year of happiness and achievement for them. Strangely, they will have no problem leaving 2024 behind and embracing 2025 with hopeful expectancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet,\u00a0for those who lost a loved one this past year, those whose troubled marriage ended in divorce, those who lost a job, or heard the doctor say the word, \u201cCancer.\u201d For them, 2024 is\u00a0a year to run from, a year\u00a0to forget. However,\u00a0the harder they try to erase or medicate, the more they remember.\u00a0They are stuck in the muck of past memory. And it keeps them from moving forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can we leave the past, live in the present, and not worry about the future?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

God told the prophet Isaiah that\u00a0the Israelites would not leave Babylon as they had left Egypt. For they had fled Egypt in a rapid and chaotic manner, unsure of where they were headed and anxious about being pursued by the Egyptians. No, when they left their exile in Babylon, they would be able to carefully and deliberately prepare and leave, knowing that God was with them. We can learn from God\u2019s instruction on how to leave our past behind and trust Him with our future. Notice His three instructions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Leave yesterday in God\u2019s care.<\/strong>\u00a0God told them, \u201cYou shall not go in flight.\u201d He didn\u2019t want them running away from their past. Instead, He comforted them by saying, \u201cThe God of Israel will be your rear guard.\u201d In other words, God said, \u201cI\u2019ve got your back.\u201d When you look at your past, look at it through the lens of God\u2019s\u00a0grace and forgiveness. View it through the promise of God in\u00a0Romans 8:28<\/a>.\u00a0Give God your past! \u00a0How?\n