Remembering to Remember

God's message today was pretty darn clear.

My morning prayer and discussion with the Lord was consumed by thoughts of His faithfulness. I threw away the check list of anxieties and prayer requests because in all honesty, the list is pretty long. Rather, I focused the thoughts of my heart to the faithful journey He and I have been on. Time after time, He came through fulfilling the smallest and the largest of my needs in His precious way and in His intentional timing. Yes, He wants His children to be needy of Him. Yes, He wants His children to crawl on His lap, taking their concerns to Him. However, we are not climbing on Santa Clauses clap, whispering to Him our needs and wants. I choose to visualize me as a child sitting on the lap of my strong and mighty Father, but instead of speaking to Him about my fears and prayer requests..... I want to simply snuggle in His arms and embrace the mighty peace of His presence. He knows my thoughts and He knows the intentions of my heart. He simply wants me to rest in Him.

My prayer this morning was, "Lord, I will walk in peace, assurance and joy, for I know that you will come through. I will not FORGET your faithfulness. Oh what foolish children we are that we do forget. Yet, even in our faithlessness to you and in our inability to remember, you continue to show up. We do not know the value of your grace. If we truly walked wearing the remembrance of your faithfulness on the tablets of our hearts, we as your children would walk in abounding peace and confidence in you. Lord, I will not forget. Remembering every awesome way that you came through.... providing for even my smallest of needs, I will faithfully sit back and be in awe of you. I witness your daily spectacle and watch as you showcase your splendor and blessings by using your children as instruments of blessing upon my life."

The Lord took me to Mark 6 today and 2 Peter. In the examination of Mark 6, we see the astonishment of the disciples as they see Jesus walk on water. They have dismissed the fact that just a few hours earlier, they had witnessed Him perform a spectacular miracle of feeding the five thousand. Yet, as we see the lack of faith by the disciples, we are reminded that we too still walk in the same manner in our "faith" even though time after time the Lord has proven His faithfulness and miracles in our lives. Yet, we are surprised when He intervenes once again - time after time. We forget about all the times that He graciously showed up, yet we have the audacity to demand where He is when times get tough, or simply we expect Him to show up when we want? This blows my mind! Remember, God always shows up. He is faithful to the faithless! But how and when He shows up is according to His timing and purpose.

My Bible fell open to 2 Peter after reading Mark 6. He continues to feed me a theme or understanding for the day. I was taken back by the fact that although I have read 2 Peters countless times, what really stood out for me today was the theme of forgetting and remembrance within it. In the past, my thoughts grabbed onto the qualities we must have as children of God, but i skipped past the desperate issue of remembering them.

The issue of remembrance is of two great value to me:

1. His faithfulness: The remembrance of God's faithfulness in my life as I reflect on my journey and walk with Him
2. Our expected qualities: The remembrance "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence.......2 Peter 1:3 ... For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, FORGOTTEN that he was cleansed from his former sins. 2 Peter 1:9

These qualities are: virtue, knowledge, self control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, love!

"Therefore I intend always to REMIND you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have." 2 Peter 1:12

"I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of REMINDER....." 2 Peter 1:13

"And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to RECALL these things" 2 Peter 1:15

"I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of REMINDER, that you should REMEMBER the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles...." 2 Peter 3:1-2

I will continue to rest in the remembrance of His faithfulness in my life. I will continue to be strengthened "through the knowledge of Him" of the remembrance of the qualities (virtue, knowledge, self control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, love) to be "established in truth" and righteousness.

Through "remembrance", I am given Peace and Strength in my faith. This does not qualify us to merely remember in times of joy, but more importantly, in times of pain, fear and suffering, giving the Lord thanksgiving in all our circumstances. "I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth." Psalm 34:1

I know with fullness of heart and clarity of mind that the Lord poured out this theme of "remembrance" upon me today as a way to say, "don't worry, I have your back - I won't forget you." I am also brought back to a moment a year ago when I cried out to Him to not forget me. In the most awesome of ways, He took me to Isaiah 49:15-16 "Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget you, YET I WILL NOT FORGET YOU. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me."

As the Lord will not forget me, I will never forget His faithfulness nor the qualities He has granted me through His divine power. What amazes me is that in both of the scripture verses that God provided me in Psalm 34:1 and Isaiah 49:16 - they both had the word "continually." My praise shall continually be in my mouth...... Your walls are continually before me....." Not in moments, or when I want or when He wants.... CONTINUALLY!

I am passionately and joyfully consumed continually by your faithful remembrance of me Lord. Lord, give me the wisdom of heart and mind to consistently remember your abounding faithfulness. Lord, give me the strength to relentlessly remember the qualities expected of me as a new creation in your divine power.