Dear Friends,

No one likes to remember the bad things of life—their failures, sins, or mistakes. In fact, when something bad happens to people, they quickly steer them away from the negative to a tone of “Everything will be okay. Just forget about it. Move ahead to the good stuff.”

“Stand up and praise the Lord your God who is from everlasting to everlasting” (Nehemiah 9:5).

“Move ahead to the good stuff” seems to be the tone in this passage when the Levites exhorted the Israelites to praise God. But, then, the leaders went into details about the horrible sinfulness of their ancestors.

Although God promises to forgive sins and remember them no more (Isaiah 43:25), it’s actually good to remember your sins sometimes, as the Israelites did. Then you have a contrast and a clearer picture of grace. You see how you’ve sinned, but you also see how God has forgiven and worked on your behalf. The most effective praise can be to acknowledge the enormity of your sin and the exorbitant grace of your Savior.

Prayer Suggestion: Lord, thank You that where sin abounds, grace abounds more!