30 DAYS OF PRAYER | DAY 16 – Remember
As we enter into this coming New Year we often pause to reflect on what has taken place over the past year. Taking time to reflect is a good practice. Some people have a memory like a steel trap. They never forget a thing. This can be a blessing or a curse depending on the information retained. Some people are very forgetful individuals and would forget their own head if it were not physically attached. Having a forgetful memory can also be a blessing or a curse depending on the situation.
The Bible has long since called for the people of God to remember. We are to remember His wondrous deeds. We are to remember His promises. We are called to remember His faithfulness. We are called to remember His commandments. But if we are honest, we often fail to remember the actions, the gifts, and the commands of God and thereby we are led into sin.
An example of scripture calling us to remember can be found in Numbers 15:37-40 which states:
The LORD said to Moses, 38 “Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner. 39 And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after. 40 So you shall remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God.
I am not suggesting that we need to start wearing tassels, but I do think that it will benefit us as a church to have landmarks that will call us to remember the faithfulness of God. Look at this example from Joshua 4:1-7:
When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, 2 “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, 3 and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’ ” 4 Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. 5 And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, 6 that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ 7 then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”
What things has God placed in your life that will call you to remember His goodness towards you? As we enter into the New Year may we be a people who recall the steadfast love of the Lord. And as we pray, may our prayers draw us into deeper reflection upon His faithfulness and lead us to daily worship our great God and Savior.
Prayer: Heavenly Father thank you for the privilege of partnering with you in this new church plant. May you stir our hearts and minds to remember your unfailing love and cause us to recall your faithfulness. May such memories give us boldness to share the light of Christ and the hope of salvation to a people who are spiritually dead and living in darkness. May we never forget that we are a broken imperfect people loved unconditionally by the one and only true perfect God. May we never forget that all that we do for Redemption church and the city of Edmond is for your own glory and not our own. Amen.
This post was written by Josh Wright, a member of Redemption Church. Josh is married to Heidi Wright and has one child, Emilie. He enjoys watching movies/TV shows, playing games, and spending time with his family.
–January 12th is a very big day for Redemption Church! Thank you for praying with us! For more information about the launch of Redemption Church and how you can pray for us, please click here.