“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; Yes, I will remember your wonders of old.”
I have a good friend who has an uncanny memory. This guy can remember the date, who was present, what you were wearing, pretty much every single detail of an event that occurred years ago. Sometimes I can barely remember that the event actually took place! My brain has a memory process of ‘Familiarity’, while he has a memory process of ‘Recollection’. If you’re not familiar with these terms, research it. It truly is fascinating. The danger with familiarity memory is it will begin to fade away over time.
The book of Judges tells the vicious cycle of how the people of Israel frequently forgot how God had delivered them and they would subsequently fall back into oppression. After Joshua and his generation (you know, the ones that were freed from slavery in Egypt) had died - Judges 2:10 says ‘After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel.’ Each tribe had become so familiar in their new allotted land, and with their new neighbors the Canaanites and the Philistines amongst others, that they began to worship other gods and forgot what the one true God had done for them.
Sometimes we can fall into this same familiarity cycle. Everything is going great in your life, you got that dream job, or you’ve moved into the perfect house, or you’re in a great relationship with your spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend and before you know it familiarity starts creeping in. You don’t seek God as much anymore. You’ve stopped praying and fasting, and maybe you even stop going to church regularly. Why is it that we only seek God and pray to him in the moment of high distress or need? This is where the importance of remembrance kicks in. In the good times we must remember God’s provision, and that He alone is the reason for our successes.
“In the good times we must remember God’s provision, and that He alone is the reason for our successes.”
God always inclined his ear to the people of Israel because of the covenant he made with Abraham. He would send a judge to deliver them time and time again. Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon….Samson. After each victory there would be a time period of peace, where life was good again, and then the people would forget what God had done. Each time that happened, their enemy would oppress them and they would cry out to God to save them.
What are some practical ways we can remember what God has done?
Jacob built altars in remembrance of his encounters with God, Deborah wrote a song in remembrance of the victory God gave her and the people of Israel against the Canaanites, we have communion to remember Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross because of the last supper Jesus held with his disciples - ‘Do this in remembrance of me’. Paul wrote in his letters - ‘I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,…’. We should also memorialize moments in our life where we encountered God, or when he healed us or gave us victory over something. Keep a journal and write those moments, put up a frame in your house with a verse that brought you through a victory, take a picture, write a post on Facebook or Instagram (I’ve been reminded sometimes through a facebook memory), even try and write a song! You don’t have to be a skilled songwriter to pen some spirit-led lyrics.
Like the Psalmist said ‘I will remember the deeds of the Lord,’. Let us always remember all that He has done for us, because we owe it all to Him.