Remembrance

Lately I have been thinking a lot about remembrance. Some of this has been ignited by a Sunday School discussion at our church a few weeks ago, but it was most recently impressed upon me yesterday morning. I was visiting a dear friend of mine in southern Pennsylvania, and went to church with him Sunday morning. The Sunday school lesson text was I Corinthians 10:1-15. The first several verses of the chapter discuss how the Israelites all passed through the sea, and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual meat, etc. However, verse five says, "But with many of them [the Israelites] God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness." Verses six through ten illustrate why God was not pleased with them. There are five things that are highlighted in these verses: lusting after evil things, idolatry, fornication, tempting Christ, and murmuring. During the class, the teacher asked us a question about why the Israelites failed. This sparked my thinking and caused me to wonder, Why did the Israelites fail so often? After all, they had witnessed ten amazing wonders that God had done to Egypt. They had seen their enemies drown in the Red Sea, and had a daily provision of food. What caused them to fail? As I thought about this, the subject of remembrance came to mind. I believe that Israel failed because they did not remember all the good things that God had done for them! In Psalm 106, it says multiple times that the Israelites did not remember. Verse 13 says, "They [the Israelites] soon forgot His works; they waited not for His counsel:" Although God had done many wonders to save and preserve His people, they did not deem them important enough to remember.

What is the lesson that we can learn from the Israelites? Remember, remember, remember! Remember the things that God has done for you. Remember the times that you have failed, and the consequences that came from your failure. Remember the times that you were feeling discouraged and overwhelmed, and God sent someone to comfort and encourage you. Psalm 42:6 says, "O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember Thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar." The Psalmist decided to remember God because his soul was cast down. Apparently, this was how he dealt with feelings of depression. When you are feeling discouraged and defeated, remember the times that God has won victories in your life! Remembering great things that God has done gives us hope, because we know that He has done them, and that He is capable of doing them.

How do we remember these things? First of all, we need to know firsthand that God is capable of doing great things on our behalf. So, we should have examples of times when He has shown His power. These examples can come from scripture, from our own lives, or from the lives of others. Reading history is a great way to discover times and ways in which God demonstrated His power. Whatever the source, these can serve as reference points for us to look to when we are feeling discouraged or rejected.

Another practical way to remember great things that God has done is to write them down. More specifically, journal about the great things that God has done for you. Not only that, but tell others about the great things that God has done in your life. This allows Him to receive glory for these things.

I know that I personally have not done very well in journaling, but by God's grace I will change that. I would encourage every one of you to keep a journal full of victories that God has helped you to win, rehmas that God has shown to you, and instances where God has demonstrated His power on your behalf. 

 If I am wrong about something, or if I said something wrong, please let me know. God bless!