What do you do to help you remember the important things you want to get done? I get so busy at times that I don’t remember where I put something. For example, several years ago while working on a project in the garage, I lost a knife Dad gave me. Later, I realized this important gift was missing but had no idea where it was. Several years later, I reached for something on top of the water heater and there it was!! I had not remembered putting it there.
I have a rather extensive filing system for important papers with an index for the location of each file. But, I spend an inordinate amount of time looking for notes and other stuff on my desk because I don’t remember what I did with it. Frustrating, can you help me with this? On the positive side, I make a weekly “to do” list to help me remember on Monday what I wrote down in my planning time on Sunday. And, I maintain a rather large prayer list (your name is probably on it) that I consult to remind me of the people and issues to intercede for. What are some of the things you do to help you remember to do what you need to do?
God wants us to remember Him. One of the great problems the Israelites had is that they had short memories or no memories at all regarding God’s goodness toward them. The Psalmist reminds us of God’s blessings and calls us to remember Him, “Bless the Lord …and do not forget His benefits.” Psalm 103:1-2. We, like the Israelites, get into deep trouble when we forget God. Sometimes I allow myself to get swept up in the frantic pace of life and rush through my prayer time or Bible reading in order to get to the work of the day. I need to slow down and enjoy His presence and remember all He has done for me.
What do you do to remember who God is and what He has done for you? Are there some pictures or sayings on your wall that remind you of His goodness? Do you listen to music that causes you to remember special blessings from God? Do you take a few minutes each day to read and reflect on scripture? Do you take time to pray and rehearse His goodness as you talk to Him?
The night before His death Jesus did something to help us remember Him. He took bread and wine as symbols of his body and blood and gave it to the disciples and said, “This is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”Luke 22:19. We are in constant need of remembering what Christ has done for us and act accordingly.
In the Old Testament, there are several instances where Jacob and others erected a stone structure to mark the place where God had visited them or done some miracle for them. Every time they would pass by the area the stone would remind them of a specific way God had intervened in their life. If their child or a friend should ask about the meaning of the stone, they could tell the story of how God had blessed them.
Judges were the leaders of Israel before the days of the kings. There is a story in 1Samuel about a battle in which God intervened and gave Samuel and the Israelites a great victory over the powerful Philistine army. To commemorate that victory and to remind the people of why they had been saved, Samuel put up a reminder stone, “Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far the Lord has helped us.”
I want to challenge you to do something before the day is over. This will probably take several minutes, but it will encourage you and renew your faith in God’s care for you. Going back to your childhood, begin writing down specific things God has done for you. For example, when were you saved? Was there a particular person God put into your life to encourage you? Take your time and follow your story up until today. This will be your Ebenezer. It will bless you and remind you of God’s faithfulness when times are tough. Keep this in a safe place and take it out often to remind you of how good God has been to you.