October 20, 2020 – He Remembers

A friend sent me a video of a song, and the lyrics began:

  Remember me, Though I have to say goodbye.
Remember me, Don’t let it make you cry.
Forever, if I’m far away, I hold you in my heart.

         As I listened, I realized how important being remembered is for each one of us. Who we are often results from people calling us by our names, even years after we first meet.  Our Lord God remembers us and calls us by our names.  He determines the number of the stars; He gives to all of them their names. Psalm 147:4.

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.” Isaiah 49:15-16.

Our Creator God, who created the world, also created us and will never forget us. Thinking about the ‘be fruitful and multiply’ command God gave to Noah, I would say he did very well, and yet, our God remembers each of us.  He knows each of us so well.

 O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.  Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.  Psalm 139:1-5.  We cannot hide from God.

Each time hair falls from our head, God knows. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Matthew 10:30. He remembers.

When the rainbow appears in the sky, it is a message from God, saying, “I remember my covenant for all future generations, to never destroy any living creature on earth by floods on the earth.” How long did it rain on the earth? Forty days and forty nights. After a two days’ rain now, we wonder, when will it quit? A rainbow is a sign of God’s promise, a covenant, for all generations.  Genesis 9:8-17 tells the story of His Remembrance.

Moses wondered how to introduce God to the Israelites prior to leaving the life of slavery in Egypt. He asked God. God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.”  Exodus 3:14-15.

God led His People on a journey through the wilderness for 40 years. They complained and rebelled against Moses.  They would have exchanged slavery for water and food. The book of Exodus shows how far God goes to remember His People and lead them.  Then they came to the Red Sea, no toll bridge to cross this barrier to freedom. The Egyptians pursued the Israelites and chased them.

And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”  Exodus 14:13-14.

Moses lifted his staff and divided the Red Sea, so the Israelites could cross on dry land.  The Egyptians followed them on their chariots and caught in the middle as the Sea closed up.

God remembers His people and loves them, redeeming them from tight places of life. Then Jesus came.  Then Jesus came and bid his darkness flee, When Jesus comes the tempter’s pow’r  is broken
When Jesus comes the tears are wiped away, He takes the gloom and fills the life with glory.  (George Beverly Shea)

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16.

We may say, we will never betray Jesus, just as Peter did. Peter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.” And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” Mark 14:29-30.

When the night was over and the rooster crowed, Peter was filled with remorse for what he had done.  Just as we are when we realize our sins.  For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. Romans 3:23-25a.

When we receive Christ Jesus, our most blessed moments are when we follow His Commands.  For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread,  and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”  I Corinthians 11:23-24.

Remembering is a two-way act. The Joy of remembering all God has done for us, in creating us in His Image, and giving us Jesus, requires a response from us.  When we remember Jesus at the Lord’s Table, we will enter the blessedness of His Love, Joy, and Peace. These three essentials for a joy-filled life, lived in peace and Love, are present only when we remember Him with obedience to His two greatest commands.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the great and first commandment.  And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39.

I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
I will ponder all your work and meditate on your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples. You with your arm redeemed your people, the children of Jacob and Joseph.  Psalm 77:11-15.