Let me forget, O God, let me forget…

Let me forget, O God, let me forget,

The past I cannot change, and then let it die;

But let me claim the present, and rely

Upon the future, and I’ll conquer yet.

Let me forget the scenes of other days,

The hallowed dreams that never can come true,

But let me live this day my life anew,

And for the future build with joy and praise.

Let me forget the visions of the past,

The wreck of blighted hopes, the years of pain;

Let me forget the pledges made in vain,

The promises to which I anchored fast.

Let me forget, O God, the sin, the stain,

Forget my love of self, forget my pride;

But let me keep my eyes, whate’er betide,

Upon the future, Lord, and live again.

Let me forget the heart-wounds of regret,

Nor open them afresh in this new day;

To bury what is dead, and turn away,

Is best; so then, dear Lord, let me forget.

                                                              

Consider that life is only just now beginning so far as you are concerned. If you have failed, confess it, and then forever put away the scenes that have haunted your memory for so long. Live for the future. Build your life anew. Let the sad experiences of the past make you just that much stronger for the present. Set life’s goal before you and begin again. Achieve once more. If ambition has died, revive it.

Do you remember the vessel that was marred? It was not thrown away. The Bible says, “So he made it again.” And so will it be with you. The bird with the broken pinion, by the grace of God, may soar as high again. He can reconstruct and recondition your life. If you will bury your past, both good and bad, lovely and unlovely, successes and failures, if you will turn from the beautiful dreams and the hallowed memories of other days, and set your face towards the future, life will still be worth while. God will not fail you. Soon the gloom will pass away. Hope never born to die. Trouble cannot always last. Love is bound to triumph yet. God will turn your night to day. Life can never be in vain. Happy days will come again.

And so, dear one, as you turn off my voice and go to your rest, go with a lighter heart , a firmer trust and a brighter hope, and I will be praying for you. Some day, please God, we shall meet, if not here, and then up there. And so until day break and all the shadows flee away, Good night. God bless you! Good night!

                                               

                                                                                                                                   …Oswald J Smith.