REMEMBER
“Then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” Deuteronomy 6:12 (ESV).
When I was in elementary school, I was admitted to the hospital for ten days due to a fluid build-up in my jaw. I was unable to open my mouth and was in incredible pain. The doctors and surgeons on staff prepared me for surgery to try to drain the fluid (a procedure that would have to be partly done while I was awake). My parents stayed awake the night before the surgery, praying for healing over me. The surgeon entered my room the morning of the procedure, and I greeted him with a wide-mouthed smile. You can imagine his greater shock when I went on to eat a massive hamburger later that day – pain-free. Needless to say, I went home a few days later without surgery but with complete healing.
This story is so powerful for me because it reminds me of who God is. It reminds me that God is my HEALER and my PROVIDER. God is my PROTECTOR and my SHIELD. This occurrence was one of my first experiences where God tangibly and miraculously intervened drastically in my life. It was a teaching moment for me on the character of God. I think many of us can recall moments in our lives, in the lives of those close to us, or even in the Bible, where God displayed His character in a mighty way. Frequently, the question is not whether we know God’s character. Often, the question is whether we remember God’s character in the challenging moments of our lives.
As I read through the first five books of the Bible, sometimes I’m shocked at the forgetfulness of the Israelites. I read Chapter 14 about how God sent plagues to their oppressors, delivered them from bondage and paved a highway directly through the Red Sea. Yet, in Chapter 16, they complain about being hungry and wanting to return to Egypt. However, the Israelites did not just read Chapter 14 – they had forgotten. Their current struggles had overcome them to the point where they forgot the pride they felt when their God stood by His word and sent the plagues, the freedom they felt walking out of Egypt and the awe they felt as God led them through the Red Sea. Just like the Israelites, we find ourselves forgetful as well. How often do we question God’s character when nothing seems to go our way? Forgetting all the times that God has proved Himself to be exactly who He says He is.
This is one of the purposes of the Bible – to remember. The Bible is God’s sacred letter to us. It reminds us of what He has done and promised to do. Jesus knows how we are quick to forget. The day before His crucifixion, He broke bread and drank wine with his disciples, representing the ultimate sacrifice to occur the next day. And Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24b). We remember Jesus’ sacrifice through communion because if we do not continually remind ourselves of the goodness of God, we will find ourselves forgetting. If we do not continually remind ourselves of the love of God, we will find ourselves questioning. And if we do not continually remind ourselves of the truth of God, we will find ourselves wandering. God is good. He is love, and He is truth. But the power of these promises is found in remembering them.