Our Christian walk is in danger. It is not in danger from the evil of this world. God’s Word clearly states that, “Nothing can separate us from the love of God”. It is not from our own sin. God’s word also states that, “If we are faithful to confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive our sins”. It is not in danger from overwhelming circumstances. Again God’s promises are true and He promises us that He will never allow us to go through a temptation without providing a way out. The danger does not lie in these things. The danger lies in forgetting what God has done in our lives.
We are not alone in this struggle. After living through one of the greatest displays of God’s mighty hand, Moses forgot that God is all powerful and disobeyed Him by striking a rock out of anger. After God sent down fire from heaven to consume the false prophets of Baal demonstrating that God is the supreme God, we see Elijah crying in the desert because he doesn’t think God cares any more. The nation of Israel’s history is riddled with forgetfulness. In one chapter, God protects and saves them and the next chapter they are crying in their cornflakes and turning their backs on Him. John the Baptist sees a dove descending from heaven on Jesus. He and the others with him heard the audible voice of God say, “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.” Later, while John was in jail, he sent a message to Jesus asking Him, “Are you the Messiah or should we look for someone else? And after walking with Jesus for three years, Peter forgot his deep friendship with Jesus and denied Him.
Throughout the Bible, God commands His people to remember what He has done. In the Old Testament, He commanded special feasts and times of celebrations to help His people remember how wonderful He is. He instructs families to continually talk about the great things that He has done. He had many of the heroes of the Bible build altars of stone just so that they would remember what God had done for them. He established feasts and special meals so that we would not forget the great thing He has done. And one of His last instructions that He gave on earth to His disciples and all future disciples was to “Remember Me”.
Our daily walk with God is a series of discoveries of who God is. Have you ever been in a church service and a verse or a song or the pastor’s message seems to be speaking right to you. That’s God speaking to you. How about when you are reading the Bible and you all of a sudden understand something you did not understand before. That’s God speaking to you. Maybe it is a prayer answered. That is God speaking to you. Perhaps it is a heartfelt prayer that you know that you know that God heard. That is the creator of the universe speaking to you. Through all of these “day- to- day” happenings, God is revealing Himself to you personally. And yet when a difficult time arises or a dry period seems to emerge, we tend to forget the God who has taken the time to reveal who he is to us.
A Chinese proverb states, “The faintest ink is stronger than the strongest memory.” How true! When I write things down they are preserved and I am less likely to forget. I began to journal years ago. I wanted to pray more effectively for my husband and children. The Lord challenged me to “study” them. The next natural step was to start writing my findings in a notebook. I recorded what they liked, what they didn’t like, what made them feel loved, when they experienced joy, what their strengths were and what their weaknesses were. As the years have progressed, my notebook became a place where I began to record what God was teaching me. I recorded blessings, confessions, and challenges. I would write down my questions with a blank space, waiting patiently for an answer. Sometimes that page would remain blank for months or years and then the answer would come. Over the years, I have come to know one thing; God wants me to know who He is. And I’m learning that He is wonderful!
Recently, I went through one of the toughest periods of my life. As I was pouring out my heart to God, He reminded me of an entry in my journal two years ago. I took my old journal off the shelf and found the entry and began to read it. It was filled with scripture and promises about the very trial I was facing. I read it over and over. I marveled that God was preparing me for this trial two years before it occurred. I was thankful that He had instructed me to write it down. My faith grew as a result. And more importantly, I discovered a little more about the God I serve.
Daily, God gives us treasures: treasures of His love, treasures of abundant life, and treasures of knowing who he is. Write it down. Don’t forget.
