Have you ever noticed how negative thoughts break in subtly and make you feel sad, worried, angry, depressed, or fearful? Someone said something unkind and offended us, and we tucked that away into the treasury of our heart, only to have it break into our thoughts over and over. Maybe someone we love walked away from us, or it’s the voice of someone who told us we’d never be good enough that keeps replaying in our mind. Too often when we should be remembering the good things God has done in our life, we let negative things from our past dominate our thinking and cause us to not walk in faith and victory.
The writers of the Scripture understood the power in remembering the right things. They often made statements such as, “I am writing to remind you.” The apostle Peter wrote, “Dear friends, this is my second letter to you, and in both I have tried to stimulate your wholesome thinking and refresh your memory” (2 Peter 3:1). Paul said to Timothy, “Keep reminding God’s people of these things” (2 Timothy 2:14). They knew that it’s so easy to put our minds on autopilot and forget all God’s benefits. When you remember what God has said and done, there is power to transform your thinking and your life.
In the Old Testament, God commanded His people to take time out from their busy schedules seven times a year to celebrate a variety of national festivals, which were times of remembrance marked by thanksgiving and joyous feasting. This wasn’t optional. He required His people to regularly take time and pause to remember and celebrate the miracles and the marvelous works He had done on their behalf—delivering them from slavery, parting the Red Sea, feeding them with manna, and on and on.
Do you know why God wanted them to do that? Because they were a lot like us today. We get busy doing life, struggling so hard to make things happen every day, that we tend to forget what’s more important than all that. We forget He’s in control. We forget we can depend on Him to make things happen. We forget He can do things that we can’t do. We even forget the miracles He has done in our life, how He’s worked in our life—our victories, our successes, the good times—and we get stuck in negativity.
God wants you to remember what He has done for you and in your life. When you remember the good, it strengthens you through the tough times. He wants you to move forward today. Use the power of remembrance to strengthen your faith and help you get through.