Bethel is where Jacob had his life-changing dream, and made a vow to God. Gilgal is where the Israelites camped after God miraculously parted the Jordan River and they stepped into the Promised Land for the first time. Beersheba is where Isaac dug a well and built an altar. All three places held special significance; they were sacred landmarks in Israel’s spiritual journey. But in Amos 5, God said: ‘Do not seek Bethel, do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba…Seek the Lord and live.’ It seems strange that they shouldn’t seek God at these places when they were so significant. But the thing is, we won’t find God in the past. His name is not The Great I Was, it’s The Great I Am. The Psalmist said, ‘God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble’ (Psalm 46:1 NIV). He is the God of now and He’s got plans for our future. When we cling too tightly to what God did in the past, we often miss what God wants to do for us next. He’s at work right here, right now. He’s always doing something new. It’s not wrong to remember the past. God’s faithfulness in the past helps us have faith to believe Him for the future. But we shouldn’t end up focusing on the past. We need to be looking forwards into what God’s got for us in the future. That’s why Paul wrote, ‘Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 3:13-14 NIV). So let’s stop focusing on the past and look ahead to the future that God’s got for us. 

What Now?

Try walking around your house with a mirror held up in front of your face, so you can only see what’s behind you. How easy is it to keep moving forward while focusing on what’s behind?