Monday, January 14, 2008

Remember

Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things He does for me. (Psalm 103:2, NLT)

The Bible is full of admonitions to remember the blessings of the Lord. We are to praise Him for His blessings and we are to never forget what He has done for us. We are to tell them to our children and to our families, to our friends and to our neighbors. We are to shout them from the rooftops!

This seemed to be somewhat of a problem for the Israelites of the Old Testament who couldn’t seem to remember from one miracle to the next that God was powerful enough and loving enough to provide for all of their needs… even the seemingly impossible ones. God did absolutely amazing things on their behalf, but they quickly found their faith faltering when the next challenge presented itself.

We are very quick to point fingers at the Israelites and berate them for their lack of trust. However, we are really no different, are we? I think that’s exactly why God instructs us to never forget what He has done for us. He knows that life has a way of putting us on an emotional roller coaster of highs and lows. He knows that our memories are often short-lived. He also knows that our faith will grow by leaps and bounds if we are able to look back at every instance in our lives where the Hand of God has intervened.

One of the benefits of the Bible is that it is a compilation of God’s Hand at work in the lives of His children. It is a written record of His blessings and miracles, something tangible we can read in order to increase our own faith.

I think that we need something similar for our own lives; a written record of God’s provisions and blessings, something we can read and look at during the times that we are tempted to fear. I know if I had a written record of every single thing God had ever done for me, it would only take looking at that record for my fears to be banished. My faith would be monstrous! Not only that, but it would also be a faith-builder for my children, and for their children to come.

What about you? Are you able to remember every single thing God has ever done for you? Most likely not. Are you willing in 2008 to start keeping a written record of God’s blessings in your life?

Please share with us any creative ideas you have for keeping a personal record of God’s blessings!