Stop Counting Backwards: Finding God in the Present, Not the Past
There is a specific kind of exhaustion that comes from constantly looking over your shoulder. We spend so much of our mental energy "counting backwards"—measuring our current happiness against a version of ourselves that no longer exists, or a version of the world that has long since changed.
We act as though God is a monument to be visited in the past, rather than a living Presence to be walked with today. We go back to the "if onlys" and the "way it was," assuming that God’s best work happened back then, and we’re just living in the leftovers.
But if we are always looking backward, we are going to miss the "Lion’s roar" in our own lives today.
The God of the "In That Day"
The prophet Amos lived in a time of deep uncertainty, but his message was rooted in a God who acts in the present. When the walls are broken and the people have wandered, God doesn't just give a history lesson on the glory of David; He gives a promise for the here and now. He says, "In that day I will restore."
The ruins of your life—the mistakes, the missed opportunities, and the things that hit "a little too close to home"—aren't just a pile of rubble from the past. They are the exact location where God wants to work today. You cannot find God in a year that has already passed. You find Him in the current breach, in the call to repent right now, and in the decision to place Him in first place today.
Why the Past Can’t Save You
The hard truth we have to face is that humanity hasn't been "right" since the beginning of the story. We’ve been chasing things that don’t satisfy and building shelters that don’t last since we left the Garden of Eden. When we count backwards to find a "better" time, we are usually just looking for a more comfortable version of our own brokenness.
The past doesn't have the power to repair your breaches. Only the One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever can do that. And He is not asking you to return to 1999 or 2023; He is asking you to come home to Him now.
The Resurrection: A Victory for the Present
This is the life-changing power of the Resurrection.
When the women went to the tomb on that first Easter morning, they were "counting backwards." They were looking for a body. They were looking for the Jesus they had known before the cross. But the angel’s message was a sharp redirection: "He is not here; he has risen!"
Victory didn't stay in the tomb, and it didn't stay in the past. The victory of Christ is a living, breathing reality that moves forward. Jesus conquered the grave so that He could be the God of your present. He didn't just pay for your past; He claimed your today.
The "repair of the breach" promised in Amos isn't a nostalgic trip down memory lane. It is the active work of the Risen King who is, at this very moment, rebuilding what was broken and restoring what was lost. Because the grave is empty, we don't have to look back to find hope. We find it in the victory that has already been won—a victory that empowers us to stop counting backwards and start walking forward with the One who makes all things new.
Reflection Questions:
How much of your prayer life is spent asking God to bring back "the way it was" versus asking Him to act "in this day"?
What is the "broken wall" in your life right now that you’ve been ignoring because you were looking backward?
The angel said, "He is not here; He has risen." What "graves" are you still looking in to find your hope?
Scripture Readings:
Amos 9:11–15 - (The promise of restoration and rebuilding)
Isaiah 43:18–19 - (God doing a "new thing" in the wilderness)
Luke 24:1–6 - (The encounter at the empty tomb)
Meet God in the Present
God isn't a memory; He is a living Savior. Come meet Him this Sunday as we gather to celebrate the victory that changes our "now." No matter what ruins you may be standing in, Christ is ready to rebuild. We’d love to walk beside you on that journey.
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