A God Who Remembers
By Lynette Kittle
“What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” - Psalm 8:4
Have you ever felt forgotten by God, tempted to believe He has a short memory and doesn’t remember your cries and requests to Him. After all, He is the God of the universe, creator of all living things, why would we think He would remember us?
“For this is what the Lord says— He who created the heavens, He is God; He who fashioned and made the earth, He founded it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited— He says: “I am the Lord, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:18).
If you’ve felt like you’re not important to God, you’re not alone. There are numerous stories in the Bible of individuals who may have felt forgotten by God at various times in their lives, like Sarah, Rachel, Joseph, Hannah, Daniel, Jonah, Job, Paul, and the list goes on.
Feeling forgotten often comes with seemingly unanswered prayers and believing God has a short memory. But Revelation 5:8 describes the place our prayers have in Heaven, “And when He had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.”
Recognizing Who Is Remembering Us
As we trust God to remember us, we want to remember God isn’t like humans who often easily forget and don’t remember us. He is the only one and true living God, yet remembers us in all our frailties and weaknesses. “For He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:14).
Often, we don’t remember who He is. “But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God, the eternal King. When He is angry, the earth trembles; the nations cannot endure his wrath” (Jeremiah 10:10).
Most importantly, we want to remember the priceless privilege God has given us to know Him through Jesus Christ. “We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true. And we are in Him who is true by being in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20).
When, Where, & How God Remembers
Scripture describes times of God remembering His people. Below are seven ways of when, where, and how God remembers us.
In our suffering. “God heard their groaning and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob” (Exodus 2:24).
In times of isolation. “But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and He sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded” (Genesis 8:1).
During sorrow. “For He who avenges blood remembers; He does not ignore the cries of the afflicted” (Psalm 9:12).
“After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before” (Job 42:10).
In weaknesses. “He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return” (Psalm 78:39).
During disasters. “So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, He remembered Abraham, and He brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived” (Genesis 19:29).
With His promises. “For He remembered His holy promise given to His servant Abraham” (Psalm 105:42).
“Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what He had promised” (Genesis 21:1).
In times of bareness. “Then God remembered Rachel; He listened to her and enabled her to conceive” (Genesis 30:22).
“Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her” (1 Samuel 1:19).
Intersecting Faith and Life:
As God is faithful to remember us, let’s make time to remember Him, too. One way He calls us to do this is through taking Holy Communion and remembering Jesus’ death and resurrection. “And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me’”(Luke 22:19).
Further Reading:
Did God Forget Where He Put You?
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/fizkes
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
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