Remember the Lord

A theme that keeps coming up in my devotions lately has been remembrance. My usual quiet time structure is to read one Psalm, two Old Testament chapters (going through chronologically and am currently in Exodus), and one or two New Testament chapters (currently reading Mark). I have noticed that in all three places of the Bible that I read from daily, there is a consistent theme of the importance remembering what God has done. 

In Exodus, a one of Israel’s recurring sins is murmuring against God. Their complaints were rooted in forgetting the marvelous things that He had done for them, and the Lord’s anger was turned toward Israel many times because of their forgetfulness. The purpose of the signs and wonders in Egypt was to show that He alone is the true God (Ex. 7:3-5). How could Israel have forgotten the signs and wonders they saw through the plagues? How could they forget the Red Sea opening so they could walk through on dry ground and the same waters collapsing to destroy the Egyptian army? God wanted these works to be remembered through generations, which is why He instructed Israel to teach their children about them (Ex. 10:2, 13:14-16). The same is true for us: your testimony is meant to be shared! Sharing with others how the Lord has been faithful to you will help you remember it the next time you go through a hard time. 

The Psalms often begin with lamenting the sorrows of life. Frequently, the first few verses are about David’s enemies surrounding him, his heart being full of sorrow, or crying himself to sleep. But then there’s a shift when he remembers the Lord, and in that remembrance, his despair turns into hope and confidence. Remember the Lord and the great things He has done for you! We have hope that He will lead us through our trials just like He led us through the ones before it. The power of remembering the Lord and how He has worked is effective in changing our hearts and minds, which eventually can change our life outlook. 

Finally, in Mark, Jesus emphasizes remembering the Scriptures in his teachings. “Is it not written” is a powerful way to make decisions. He relied on the Scriptures, and we can too. Being able to recall Scripture is an opportunity that we should take advantage of. The Bible is easily accessible for us today through technology and even asking ChatGPT to give us Scripture verses that apply to a situation. We can use these tools to help us memorize and truly learn the Bible to help us recall it quickly when needed.  

Bottom Line: remember the Lord and the great things He has done for you – it will shift your mindset and strengthen your faith! Remember His words so you can apply them to your life every day.