“Then he brought out Israel with silver and gold,
and there was none among his tribes who stumbled.
Egypt was glad when they departed,
for dread of them had fallen upon it.
He spread a cloud for a covering,
and fire to give light by night.
They asked, and he brought quail,
and gave them bread from heaven in abundance.
He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
it flowed through the desert like a river.
For he remembered his holy promise,
and Abraham, his servant.
So he brought his people out with joy,
his chosen ones with singing.
And he gave them the lands of the nations,
and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples’ toil,
that they might keep his statutes
and observe his laws.
Praise the Lord!”
“Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress,
when he heard their cry.
For their sake he remembered his covenant,
and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love.” Psalm 105:37-45; 106:44-45
For God, to remember was not just to bring to mind, but always to act within His economy of time. The thought served as impulse to serve and fulfill His promises. God constantly remembered His friend Abraham and what He had pledged to him, and over generations unfolded His plan with preciseness and power to His people. He executed with love and protection, light and sustenance, all according to His character and word. He watched over His own for good, and a future, giving them joy, and lands, and cause to praise. In darkness, distress, and confusion, He remembered them with His abiding presence, and His covenant with unassailable love. (Genesis 8:1-3; 12:1-3; Isaiah 41:8; James 2:23)
God remembers us too. In perfection and exquisite care, He executes His promises to us with surety, order, and divine pace. When shocked by a turn of events, we might wonder whether He knows or cares. We might wander to a far country of loneliness or poor choices and feel lost and forgotten. Circumstances may be tumultuous or painful or confusing, and He seems silent.
But the Lord sees all and is intricately involved in all our ways to fulfill His plans for us. Do we trust Him for this? Do we rue a slow or distant promise, or choose to be expectant at every step? How might we consume our minds with Him over our agenda and timetable so we are more alert to the glory He scatters along His way? (Psalm 11:4; 37:23-24; 138:8; 139:1-3; Jeremiah 29:11)
For us, is remembering God’s promises only a static mental exercise or rote repetition in song, or is it an active verb? How are we acting on His certain word, standing on and walking in His promises as our own? When we fail to remember God’s goodness and generosity, we can turn inward and rebel, or angry at unfulfilled wants. When we actively remember who He is and all He has done, we are spontaneously moved to vibrant gratitude, praise, and love. We respond in reverence, obedience, and hope because we cannot not react to His grace-filled activity toward us. (Psalm 106:6-7)
Lord, thank You for always remembering me. May I remember You and what You have done and will do, and so live with vitality, expectancy, and praise.
As the rain and snow 