Think with me for a moment, when I say, “Remember what God has done for us”. What is it that comes to your mind?
There are infinite numbers of answers to that question. Even going back to the beginning of time we can remember what God has done. Take a quick journey with me through the Bible to remember what God has done.
In Genesis, he created perfection from nothing, offered a path to life but did not flinch when Adam and Even shunned Him and chose their own way. Instead he gave them mercy, not what they deserved but instead a way to continue their relationship with Him. He pursued relationship with His children from the beginning of time and from the beginning of time was rejected and shunned and denied. It got so bad at one point his just decided to destroy his entire creation with the flood. Oh, but wait, in His great mercy and maybe more out of His great love for His greatest creation, He saved a tiny remnant, Noah and his family.
And time goes on and people don’t change much and God never changes.
Eventually, He created an entire people that would become His chosen from a man that was running from his brother to save his own life. Jacob. And when those people, the Isrealites continually turned away and disobeyed and even sought other Gods, how many times did He call to them and rescue them and even fight for them? Too numerous to count.
Does the story of Hosea ring a bell? This was the very picture of what God himself was doing for his own bride. Hosea 3:1 “The Lord said to me, go show your love to your wife again (who by the way was a prostitute), though she has been loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Isrealites though they turn to other gods…” Hosea 13: 5 “I cared for you in the desert , in the land of burning heat, When I fed them, they were satisfied, they became proud then they forgot me.” We see the calling, the wooing and then the rejection of His love. But yet in Hosea 14: 4 he says (paraphrased_ "I will heal their waywardness and love them freely…. I will be like the dew.. [she] will blossom like a lily…” Do you see it? Of course you do. Is this not a picture of us? Of you and me? So many many years later and people haven’t changed much and God has not changed.
After calling and wooing and pursuing he waited, patiently and quietly until the time of the second perfection created out of nothing. He saw the chasm and the woundedness, the hunger and unsaid longing and knew that the only answer was in His only son, the prince of Heaven, the only worthy lamb. The Lamb. He sent him knowing it would bring the greatest heartbreak Heaven had ever known and the greatest healing the world had ever known. And He looked down then and saw that world was in a turmoil and chose to once again rescue and even fight for us. So, he did the unfathomable. He sent Jesus to enter His creation once again, as He had come in the garden, searching and calling only this time Jesus also came fighting and defeating and winning us back. Remember? He died… in His pursuit of our hearts… for the love of our lives… for the resurrection of His creation… for your healing… for you. He died.
He didn’t just die. He also entered into the very depths of death and took the keys and released the captives and released you and me from the chains once held by darkness and destruction. He then did the unthinkable. He came back, again, through resurrection. Once wasn’t enough. He came back to love on his disciples, so they too could share the love that was overflowing the grave. And they did. From generation to generation it is still continuing on. The love, the grace, the life, the peace, the joy and salvation is continuing on but people haven’t changed much and God never changes and here we are. You and me today.
So, what is it you need to remember? What has this God, your God, our creator Father done for you that He is calling you to remember? Somewhere, wherever you are, write a word or a few words that remind you of that thing, that moment, that time that God was there, that he came through, that He healed or He gifted or He fulfilled that promise. There was once. Write it down.
Do you remember? Do you remember who this God is? Who you are worshiping? What He has done? Do you remember that He loves you?
Do you remember who you were before? Before His entrance into the messy, crumpled, emptiness of your heart? We all do. We all wrestle with the thoughts of who we are and they fall somewhere on the line between unworthy wretch and beautiful princess daughter of the king. The beauty is that truthfully we are both and by grace we can live always both, always flawed but always covered by grace. The beauty is that who He is covers who we are and in Him we become more, always growing, always healing, falling, crying, scraping, burning but also dancing, learning, receiving grace.
I haven’t changed much but my God never changes and I remember the past so I can strengthen my future and my relationship with God is always only a reflection of what He has done. Remember what He has done and who He is. And just as He came to His people over and over and over to woo them, to protect them and to fight for them so it is with you and me. He is coming, He is wooing, He is protecting, He is fighting for us. So, today, remember. remember what God has done for you!
