I’m always struck by how many times in the Old Testament, the Lord gives the command, “Remember.” Remember that you were slaves. Remember how I brought you out into freedom. Remember my commands. Remember my goodness and faithfulness to you. And of course, what did Israel forget to do? They forgot to remember. They forgot to remember and set up their own gods and followed their own desires. They forgot…and they ran headlong into sin.
You could call remembrance a spiritual discipline. In the act of rehearsing what God has done in the past, we find a bedrock for our faith in the present and into the future. We look to his past faithfulness, and we are reminded of how He works, of who He is. We remember and say “He has been good to me. He has been enough.”
Scripture tells us the story of His work in the world, to work our salvation. We can read its pages and remember all He accomplished for us in Jesus.
Our lives tell His story as well. Sharing our stories with one another becomes an act of remembrance. We remember the time He brought healing or strength during weakness. We remember how He provided—financially, emotionally, relationally. We remember ways He blessed us and answered prayers beyond our wildest imaginings. We remember, and we praise Him. We remember, and our faith—and that of those listening—is renewed and encouraged for today.
I remember how God placed me in a family and a context in which I could come to know Him early in life.
I remember how God clarified my calling—and how He did it through years of struggle and tears.
I remember how God has provided the friendships I’ve needed for precise seasons of life—friends who can alternatively give me a hug or “kick in the pants” to get up and keep going, friends who can speak truth back to me, who can bring joy on the journey.
I remember how He has sustained me through sickness, through depression, through my own relentless patterns of sin, through heartache, and how He has unfailingly used that pain to teach me more about the Gospel and His faithfulness.
I’d love to hear your story. What do you remember?