This is a Time to Remember

Remember His wonders which He has done; His marvels, and the judgments uttered by His mouth. Psalm 105:5

This hymn was written to commemorate special events in the life of a church - dedications, anniversaries, etc. But I think that it's important for us to DAILY remember the greatness of the Lord and His faithful leading.

Remember is a word commonly used in the Bible. God instructs His people throughout His word to remember certain things. These things are to be remembered as reminders of God's faithfulness to them and His covenant and promises.

Moses said to the people, "Remember this day in which you went out from Egypt, from the house of slavery; for by a powerful hand the LORD brought you out from this place And nothing leavened shall be eaten." Exodus 13:3

Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy. Exodus 20:8

He also gave them physical reminders, such as the clothing they were to wear to remember the commandments.

"It shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, so as to do them and not follow after your own heart and your own eyes, after which you played the harlot, so that you may remember to do all My commandments and be holy to your God." Numbers 15:39-40

When God gives His people the law in the Old Testament, He reminds them again and again about where they came from, and how He saved them. This verse is repeated over and over again.

But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and that the LORD your God redeemed you from there; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing. Deut. 24:8

"You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not." Deut. 8:2

Sometimes when I read these passages in the Old Testament, I think, "Man, these Israelites must have been really dense! They wandered in the desert for 40 years. Why did God have to keep telling them to remember this? Wouldn't they always have it in the back of their mind?"

But then I think about me, and my sinful self, and how quickly I forget God's faithfulness to me through saving me from an eternity separated from Him.

It is good to remember that this story started long ago. The Bible has a constant theme running through it from beginning to end: that God remembers His covenant. He reminds His people throughout the Old Testament that He remembers His covenant, and as people living under the NEW covenant, we know that He sent His son to earth to take our place on the cross - He provided a means by which our sin was paid for and we were reconciled to Him. Jesus was the fulfillment of that promise that God made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

It is good to remember; to remind ourselves of His grace that falls like rain, His Spirit that leads us and His son's pardoning blood.

This is a Time to Remember
Words by Bryan Jeffery Leach

This is a time to remember the greatness of the Lord.
He has so faithfully led us as promised in His Word;
He has so bountifully given His grace like freshening rain;
He has so lovingly pardoned and made us whole again.

This is a time to remember the glories that have been;
This is a time to press onward to vistas yet unseen;
For Christ is alive in His people, He meets us face to face;
He grants us the power of His Spirit to serve Him in this place.

This is a time to remember the church is His, not ours;
this is a time to surrender ourselves, our wealth, our powers;
this is a time to be servants - to give ourselves away,
Building the church of the future until the coming day.