Remember, Remember, Remember

Sitting in service today, I was reminded of the importance of remembrance in the Christian faith. We are always called to remember. To hold fast to God's promises, to remember God's faithfulness, to be mindful of his blessings and providence, to cling to His promises.

Before we broke bread and drank the cup for communion, our senior pastor shared two verses with us. It was a quick simple message but it really stuck to me throughout the day, especially as I reflect on it now.

Remember the wondrous works that he has done,

his miracles and the judgment he utters.

Psalm 105:5

Our fathers, when they were in Egypt,

did not consider your wondrous works;

they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love,

but rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.

Psalm 106:7

Looking through the two Psalms, it was quite interesting to see the context in which these verses were found. Psalm 105 takes us through the first two books of the Bible, Genesis and Exodus, highlighting all the times God has been sovereign and faithful through each generation; from the covenant made with Abraham to the plagues that were brought upon Egypt through Moses. Psalm 106 on the other hand takes us through the rebellion in God's people, their disobedience, for instance with the golden calf in Exodus 32.

God remembers us. He loves us and He knows us. He thinks of us every day, He has provided food on the table, a sun that will always rise, and a community of believers to walk faith with. We on the other hand, as sinful people have failed to remember God. We go on our way, and we get distracted by all the seen things in the world and can easily forget about the unseen kingdom. I can admit that I am guilty of this; there are times when I crawl into bed and I realize that i've gone through my day without remembering or thinking about the Lord at all.

Comparing the two verses, the first reminds us to remember God, be it by counting your blessings, or intentionally communicating with him in our lives, or by pondering and meditating on his Word in the busyness and the commotion of the world. The second tells us that when we forget God, when we fail to remember His steadfast love for us, there is rebellion. And I completely agree. It is in times when I forget to set my mind on things above, things that are right, pure, and excellent, that I often fall into sin.

With that, I am challenged and I feel the need to be more intentional in remembering the Lord throughout my days. I sat down last night and I couldn't even think of how my week went because it flew by as I was neck-deep in catching up, writing midterm notes, and even serving the fellowship. I need to be remembering the Lord more, and engrave His holy word on my heart that it would sanctify me and transform me.