Someone sent me a little photo the other day that I found precious. It was of a little girl, looking out into the distance. The words on it read, sometimes I like to sit and remember.
I don’t know why exactly, but it spoke to me.
A few days later, I was rummaging through some storage tubs at our office. It was a day to declutter. As I looked through one box, tucked away, were some birthday cards. I am not sure how they got in there, they were from 2016. I opened them up and began to read. I smiled as I read each one. They were from my partners and they are precious to me. Some had little notes about how the ministry had blessed them. Some had family recipes tucked inside. Some had family photos. I pulled them out, tucked them in my bag, and brought them home with me.
Since that day, I have read through them a few times. Each time I do, they bring me great joy. It is the joy of remembering. Sometimes, just like the picture said, I like to sit and remember.
Everyone has things to remember – birthdays, appointments, things to buy at the store, etc. Those are not the things I am talking about today. I am talking about the things we purpose to remember… the memories.
I love to sit and talk with Breanne or the kids about things we have done together. Times we have laughed together. It brings great joy.
God tells us to remember things. Oh, I know there are things we are to forget. We are to forget past hurts, sins, bad memories of disappointment. But there are also things we are told to remember.
In Deuteronomy 8, God tells His people to remember how He led them for 40 years in the wilderness.
1 Corinthians 11 teaches us to remember Jesus as we partake of communion.
Isaiah 46 tells us to remember all God has done for us in the past.
Deuteronomy 4 says, the children of God are to remember all the marvelous things they have seen God do. There is power in remembering.
How so, you may ask? Just like hearing a powerful testimony increases your faith, remembering the faithfulness of God does the same thing. It causes your faith to soar.
Psalm 143:5 says, I remember the days of old. I meditate on all you have done. I ponder the work of your hands.
Recently I was praying about a particular thing. As I meditated on the word of God concerning this thing, I remembered something. I remembered I had seen God move in a situation just like this many years ago. As I thought back on that time, my faith was ignited. I knew I had seen God do this once, He would do it again.
We only need to remember the things God has already done. The times He has already come through. In meditating on the goodness of God and what He has already done, faith will arise.
Remembering is a powerful tool. However, we are not the only ones who remember.
I love the verse in Malachi 3:16, which says; Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name.
You may recall, at the beginning of this year, we talked about a jar of remembrance. Where we put notes of the wonderful things God has done in the jar…to read at the end of the year. I did that and I started a Book of Remembrance journal. I write down the wonderful things God has done and is doing. It is nice to go back through it on days I need to be reminded of His faithfulness.
The power of remembering the goodness and faithfulness of God is real. Make it a part of your daily life. As you remember, it will bring you great joy! There is joy in remembering.
“It is our faith that becomes the substance that we can’t yet see.” KP
