'The Importance of Remembering'

to me. The first is the call for the Israelites to remember (I Chron 16:12) and declaring that God remembers. (I Chron 16:15)

When we remember, we are rejoined to that event and persons. We relive it in our minds which shapes our emotions and brings about congruent behavior. David called the Israelites to enter again into the salvation history of God bringing His people out of slavery, through the Red Sea, across the wilderness to the Promised Land. He reminds them that God has been with them and blessed them in the land. In other words, the covenant actions of the LORD in the past are still being experienced today. Their present has been built on God’s salvation history. Their lives are a continuation of their forebearers’ salvation experiences.

Then David tells the Israelites that God remembers. God remembers his covenant to Abraham. God promised to make Abraham into a nation. God has kept His promise. God has promised blessings to the generations starting with Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, to their present generation. Even if the Israelites forget God, God will never forget them. If they turn from God, God will relentlessly pursue them. Isaiah uses a powerful metaphor to speak of God’s faithfulness. “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!” (Is 49:15)

As we enter into this 2025 Advent season, remember. Remember what God has done for you and give thanks. Let it shape your thinking, emotions, and actions into gratitude and reverence for God. Know that God remembers you. He has not forgotten you. There is nothing that you could do that you cannot immediately turn to Him. He will embrace you with forgiveness, love, healing, and the Holy Spirit. You are always on His mind.

Blessings,

Jonathan