Scripture:
Psalms 106, 107, 118 & 136 all begin with these words, “O, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18 “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Psalm 34:1 “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
Deuteronomy 32:7
Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you.
Reflection:
At least 213 times in holy scripture God tells us to remember. It is the most repeated command in scripture. That fact alone should give it an important place in the life of a disciple of Christ, yet if you are anything like me, I rarely practice a true and deep “remembering” of God’s faithfulness in my devotional life. It’s sad, but I rarely “work out” my memory muscle.
We go to the gym to strengthen many parts of our body’s muscles. We do strength training for beauty and health but rarely do we take time to strengthen our memory muscles. But, by doing so, we would strengthen, beautify, and give health to our souls. And why should we exercise our memories when we have Siri and Alexa reminding us of what we should do next, or photos on our iPhones or laptops to remind us what happened a year ago or ten years ago?
Yet, I firmly believe that the Lord asks us to remember so that our memories will be energized, giving power to our hearts and strength to our faith, causing us to believe for more.
King David said in Psalm 34:1“I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” What makes this verse stand out is that it was written in a time of extreme stress and danger. Understanding the context of these words gives so much more color and depth. It could have actually been titled“Praise in the Cave.”
King David wrote this verse when he was fleeing for his life from King Saul as he was seeking shelter in the cave at Adullam (1 Samuel 21:10-22:1.) There, hiding in the darkness of a cave, David turned his heart toward heaven and by faith wrote his gratefulness and praise to the Lord. As he composed this Psalm, he began each verse with another letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This was the cleaver way that both David and his men would recite and commit to memory these amazing words of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord…all while hiding in a cave!
Thanksgiving and remembering are always tied together. As we approach Thanksgiving week this year, let’s take a deeper dive and exercise our memory muscles. Let’s remember the goodness of God and give thanks in all circumstances.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
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