Remember

By Pastor Renee Stewart

“Remember the miracles of long ago. Acknowledge that I am God, and there is no other. I am God, and there is none like me.” - Isaiah 46:9 TPT

Last year I had this tugging in my spirit to remember. As I re-read through my journal the word remember was tied in a lot of my journal entries. So when we started talking about “re” words, I knew I wanted to share about one of my favorites.

To remember means to have in or be able to bring to one's mind an awareness of someone or something that one has seen, known, or experienced in the past.

In my opinion, remembering is a discipline. I don’t know if that’s because we’re conditioned not to look behind us or to keep moving forward, but to look back and remember all that God has done propels you into a deeper love and adoration for Him and all that He is. We need to remember where God has brought us from, remember the word He has spoken to us, remember His goodness and faithfulness, remember the promise of peace. 

We often seek God for this or that, and He gives us a word or a promise to stand on, and we marvel at all He did. Then a few days later things get shaky again, and it’s like we forgot how good He was when we sought Him. It’s almost as if we have spiritual amnesia. That word He gave us is not just a “quick fix” for our situation but a lasting promise to stand on time and time again. If you never take the time to remember, you’ll keep searching and looking for things He has already provided for you. 

But last year I began digging deeper into the word remember. In Hebrew the word for remember is “zakar” which also means “to bring someone to mind and then act upon that person's behalf." The Hebrew idea of remembering always includes acting on behalf of the one brought to mind.

So when God remembers someone, He turns His attention to them and then acts on their behalf. So in Psalm 106:4 (ESV,) when David writes, “Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people; help me when you save them,” David isn’t writing that because he thinks God forgot him, He is asking God to turn his attention to him and then act on His behalf 

So when we remember God and his faithfulness and His promises, we turn our attention back to Him, and then our job is to respond on His behalf. Reflecting His love to others, His character from that place of remembrance. 

Challenge:

Do you keep a journal? Or perhaps you can mentally recall a word God has given you recently? Have you acted on His behalf over this word? As you remember the words His spoken over you, the challenge is to act on them. And moving forward, as God gives you a word for this next year, write it down, that you may remember it and act in obedience on it.