Remember

2 Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Deuteronomy 8:2-3 NIV

As I was driving the bus the other day, I started down some roads with lots of grass and trees and no homes. I paused and took a deep breath with the window open. 40 years ago I did the same thing on my first mission trip in Taiwan. I wanted to remember the smells, the sights and sounds of God’s creation and His care for people all over the world.

This exercise led me to the Bible and God’s desire for us to remember. We recently completed our Bible reading marathon. One theme I noticed in this reading was the many times the scriptures referred back to the deliverance from Egypt. The remembrance of His care and the extraordinary deliverance from bondage was to impact the way that they were to be presently devoted to God.

Gleanings from Today’s verse

The Who

Moses was recounting God’s faithfulness to Israel. But these are the ones who would go in to take possession of the land. All of their parents and those over 20 had died in the last 40 years. This new generation were to remember how God helped them over the last 40 years of wandering in the desert.

The Consistency

God led you all the way. Not one moment in the 40 years was God absent from their journey. Even in the trials and testing, God was present.

The Purpose

To humble them and know what was in their heart.  This is the key for remembering. It is not to gain knowledge. It is to reveal what is in our heart. God desires love and devotion from our heart.

****What about remembering our failures? ****

Remembering gives us the perspective to give thanks to God’s goodness and humble us leading to repentance. Where we have messed up is a place right in the present to repent and receive God’s forgiveness. 

A pure heart is not a person who has lived perfectly. It is one in whom the blood of Jesus has cleansed and wiped his sins away. God is after your heart. He loves you and wants you to love Him back. Remembering and repentance leads us into gratefulness for His love and compassion.

The Care

God provided for them in their lack. He gave manna, clothing and health – their feet did not swell.  Remembering is a good place to stir up gratefulness which leads to worship and praise for our Savior.

Today is a good day to start remembering. Remember that Jesus looked at you at your worst and showed that you were worth dying for. Remember that God so loved you that He gave his most precious Son for you. Remember that He is longing to be first place in your heart. Remember that His is and always will be faithful to keep you, walk with you, stay with you, continue on your journey, and love you. Remembering is more for your heart than your head.

Blessings

Love y’all