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May 19, 2024 06:00am

Remember When

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As a child, a common frustration of mine was asking my parents for something only to have them say the famous words, “We’ll think about it.”

What made this response sting even more was when, days later, I’d voice the same request again only for my parents to inform me that they’d forgotten I asked the first time.

As an adult I now have a better understanding of the strenuous task of remembering.

There are many things to remember….
-When to pay bills
-Passwords to online accounts
-groceries
-switching laundry over
-people’s birthdays
-to wear shoes

The list goes on and on; if I’m being honest, sometimes being an adult feels like life is an endless string of remembering tasks and fulfilling obligations. Forget smelling the roses, I don’t have time to look at them.

It’s in these seasons where I feel burdened; weighted down by life’s demands to the point where I begin to question not only is life good, but is God good?

Jesus says in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

I can certainly attest to a season of life, as I just described, leading the abundant life of Jesus to be distantly in the background or worse…killed in my life if I am not careful.

This is why I must take time to remember when.

In the Bible we see God instruct his people several times to acts that would help them remember his faithfulness towards them…

-In Exodus God institutes the Passover Feast; a meal to remember God delivering the Isrealites from slavery in Egypt.

-In the book of Joshua God told Israel to build a memorial complete with twelve stones symbolizing God faithfully bringing the tribes of Israel into the Promise Land.

-In the gospels, Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper. Jesus tells his disciples this is a new covenant in his blood and ends the dinner by instructing the twelve to repeat this supper on a regular basis in remembrance of him; his life, death, and resurrection.

Throughout the Bible, God instructs his people to take intentional pauses to remember (i.e., reflect on) how he has delivered them and praise him for this deliverance.

Remembering takes intention.

In busy seasons, it can be hard to “be still and know He is God,” but I find it necessary.

When I am unintentional to remember God’s past faithfulness in my life, I find myself worrying. Worry leads me to question God’s plan and worse than that, I find myself beginning to question his very nature.

If I’m not careful, questioning God’s nature can lead me to doubt his goodness and be disobedient rather quickly.

Reflecting back on God’s past deliverance gave the Isrealites confidence and strength to move forward in faith and can do the same for us.

As I think back on my faith journey I can recall several times he has been faithful to me in things both little and large. Salvation as the start, with many times of God moving on my behalf to follow.

When I raise my “ebenezer” recounting and praising God for his past faithfulness it allows me to have peace.

One of my favorite worship songs is “The Story I’ll Tell” by the Worship Initiative. The song starts by speaking of trusting God with a present situation that seems dark/dead. The song goes on to say “…Oh, my God did not fail is the story I’ll tell.”

I love the confidence in that lyric; confidently praising God for his future faithfulness despite what is in view today.

Perhaps, your current hour is dark and confusing. May I encourage you to remember when.

As you recount and praise God for his past faithfulness in your life may the peace of God fill your heart as you move forward in faith today.