I have been trying to discover what might impede growth in my Christian life and working against my desire to become closer to my God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Yes, I am a Christian trinitarian believer because that is what the revelation of Scripture (Bible) demands of me. That is a discussion for another time. Right now, I am trying to figure out what is preventing me from my goal of experiencing a closer relationship with One with whom I have to do, the one Paul says, “In whom we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28).
As part of my effort, I have been listening to many teachers on YouTube lately, and I think I have identified something I need to fix in my Christian walk. I would ask you to consider if it is something you must also address. This thing needs addressing when I forget what God has done for me, individually and corporately. The converse of forgetting is not remembering, not actively reminding myself of the goodness of God in my life. I believe a lot of my struggles recently are directly related to this problem.
I am reminded of the dramatic event in Mark 4:35-41. They are on the Sea of Galilee, and Jesus is asleep on a pillow in the stern when a great windstorm arises, and powerful waves crash into the boat. Fearful they were going to sink and drown, they woke Jesus and chastised him, saying, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Jesus gets up, rebukes the storm, and says to the sea, “Peace, be still!” Suddenly, everything is calm. Earlier, Jesus had told them, “Let us cross over to the other side,” so they should have been confident of their crossing. Jesus then calls them to task, saying, “Why are you so fearful? How] is it that you have no faith?” They had forgotten or failed to remember both what Jesus had earlier said as well as the miracles he had done, even the power he had given them in Mark 3:14-15, “Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons.“
Remembering what God has done strengthens our faith. Remembering what he has already done in our lives should give us the power to apply that remembrance to our current situation or need. The disciples’ fearful reactions resemble Isaiah 49:13: “But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, And my Lord has forgotten me.”
Source of hope
Our hope begins and ends in Scripture, in the Word of God, for it is the foundation of our understanding and the source our helper, the Holy Spirit, uses to guide and correct us as we “present our bodies as a living sacrifice.” (Romans 12:1) It is only then that we can discern “what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2) Our mind is so important as we see from this passage from Lamentations (from the prophet Jeremiah during the fall of Judah to Babylon).
This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope.
Through the Lord’s mercies, we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!”
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him and the soul seeking Him.
It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
This recalling to mind is remembering, bringing into the present moment the things God has done in the past. We remember; we do not forget, since “if God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)
Our Burden
Our burden, then, is remembering, not forgetting. Faith, our trust in God, fosters that remembering, and the Holy Spirit will bring everything to mind if we do not quench His efforts. This is the key, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7). That sound mind by which we overcome our fears is fundamental in our remembering. It goes back to our offering our bodies as a living sacrifice. Since it is living, that sacrifice is ongoing, day-to-day, continuously renewed. It is not a one-time effort. Please remember that and make it part of your daily devotions.
May God bless and keep you, and may the Holy Spirit always remind you of what God has done for you to sustain you and strengthen you through the hard times.
Well Said.