Gospel singer J. Moss has a popular song out right now that says, “You loved me through my good. You loved me through my bad. You didn’t erase my future because of my past. I’m glad you loved me through my good and my bad.”
That’s pretty much all the song says, and I must admit that when I first heard it, I really wasn’t a fan. But the more I listened to it, the more it began to grow on me. It’s a simple song, but the lyrics have such powerful meaning. One line in particular stands out to me, and always prompts a Thank You, Jesus to flow out of my mouth from the depths of my heart. That one, nine-word line that says, “You didn’t erase my future because of my past” plays over and over in my spirit, and moves me to a place of worship and thanksgiving.
The fact that my past has no power over my future is good news to me. According to yesterday, I don’t deserve anything good in my life; but to know that I am still destined to have a promising future despite the blatant recklessness in my past further reveals the immeasurable extent of God’s unconditional love, mercy, and grace.
You know, the past has a way of following you like a shadow, causing you to think that it will be with you wherever you go and you’ll never be able to escape it. The guilt, shame, and pain associated with it hover over you like a heavy, dark cloud, and dim your view of a brighter tomorrow.
It’s like on a cloudy day when you can’t see the sun shining. You think the sun isn’t there, but it is. It’s still shining; the clouds are just overshadowing it. Similarly, when you can’t see the brightness, or promise, of your future, it doesn’t mean that it’s not there; your view of it is simply blocked by the clouds of the past. But despite the clouds of your past, you are still destined to shine.
Yes, the enemy will tell you that you’ve done too much wrong, or you’ve had too rough of a life, but what he won’t tell you is that the Lord is rich in mercy and compassion, and is able to right every wrong and smooth every area of roughness. The Lord’s plans for your life were recorded in His book before a single day of your life ever passed (Psalm 139:16, NLT). His plans for you are good; to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). And since God neither lies, nor changes His mind (Numbers 23:19) then that means nothing in your past can erase the future He has purposed for you.
It does not matter your family history; your sins; your hard life; the abortion; the lies; the ungodly relationship; the molestation; the rape; the addiction; what mama said; what daddy did; or anything else that happened in your past, you are still destined for greatness. You still have a promising future.
You may not feel deserving, but the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross washes away all guilt and shame, and presents you faultless before The Father. Your past cannot reverse what God has predestined, and He will not erase your tomorrow because of what you did yesterday.
When we give ourselves over to the Lord, and allow Him to work in us, we become new creations through Christ Jesus and the shadows of our past are cast away.
In spite of our past, the Lord preserves our future. Oh, Thank You Jesus.