I was about 8 years old and my stationary addiction had already set in. Mum had bought me one of those fancy pens that has four different coloured inks when you press down each button and I couldn’t find it anywhere. I’d searched all through my bedroom and in all my drawers and still no pen. Being 8 years old I started to cry, Mum wouldn’t be happy if I’d lost that pen already and then I had a thought. Pray. ‘Ok’ I thought ‘I will’. Simple and quick. ‘Jesus, I can’t find my pen!’ and instantly an inaudible voice, much like a thought entered my head, ‘look in the bottom drawer’. I’d already looked but I opened the drawer anyway, moved some papers and there it was. I know there are people who will put this down to coincidence, some sort of repressed memory or something else but I know that this was God answering prayer. I have carried that with me all this time and I still rely on Him to help me in all sorts of situations. Simple I know, but remembering is a good thing.
There are 233 references in the NIV Bible that use the word ‘remember’ or ‘remembered’ and over half of these refer to God reminding the Israelites not to forget the things he has done for them in the past. He constantly uses symbols within their rituals that remind them repeatedly of the ways that he has looked after them, blessed them and rescued them time and time again. Even the rainbow is a symbol used to remind them of an event that changed the world and they are called to remember.
Our Pastor preached this week about the importance of remembering the ways that God has looked after us in our past and he talked of combining this with forward looking to how he will consistently do this in our future. He talked about putting into practice the art of thinking in two directions – looking back and looking forward at the same time. Worry, doubt and discouragement raise their ugly heads when we forget to look back. We only worry when we forget that God looked after us (or a loved one) in the past and that he never changes. If you can’t recall God doing this for you then it may be that you don’t have a relationship with him.
I am planning on writing regularly about times in my past that God has looked after, blessed and rescued me. I will be writing these things to remind myself of God’s love and care for me, if you find what I write encouraging then thats a great bonus.
Isaiah 46:9
Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.
