Remember!
Psalms 105:4, 5 and 8
Seek the LORD, and His strength: seek His face evermore.
Remember His marvelous works that He hath done; his wonders, and the
judgments of His mouth . . . He hath remembered His covenant for ever,
the word which He commanded to a thousand generations.
Throughout the Bible, God’s people are instructed to stop and recall what He did for them. Psalm 105 is a song of remembrance of God’s goodness to His beloved ones. It traces His direction, provision and protection through their history and the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses. As believers in the 21st century, we can look back over a much longer history and see how God’s plan has and is unfolding, and observe His incredible goodness to us.
Psalm 105:1-5 shows the natural progression of what happens when I pause to remember—I give thanks to Him and continue calling on Him. I sing of Him, and talk with fellow believers of all He has done. Then I must go tell others of His greatness. When I stop to trace the work of God’s hand in my life and in the world around me, these things just come naturally.
But the key to being able to rejoice in the past is not found in counting the number of good things that have happened, but in remembering that God remembers! I can rejoice because He never forgets His plan and He never forsakes His promises. Even when life is tough and things don’t seem to make sense to me, I can rest assured that He is in control and He is working out His plan. He has my best interest at heart. Knowing this encourages and strengthens me, and pushes me to do my best to live for Him.
A song that was popular when I was younger went something like this:
“When I remember the cross that He bore,
When I remember the thorns that He wore,
My heart cries out, ‘Oh Christ divine, I’m thine forever!’
When I remember what He did for me.”
Dear Father, help me daily to look back at Your faithfulness and praise You for being a God who remembers.
By Ann Shorb
©Copyright Ann Shorb, 2006
In The News:
Christian, Jewish Persecution Up in Muslim Nations
The U.S. State Department's International Religious Freedom Report for
2012 shows persecution against Christians and Jews is on the rise,
especially in Muslim countries, CBN News reports.
Egypt, Nigeria, Sudan, Iran, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia are among
the many countries where non-Muslims are suffering persecution. Saudi
Arabia prohibits any religion except Islam and enforces state
restrictions on religious freedom. In Sudan, Muslim rioters burned down
an evangelical church compound; in Libya, terrorists bombed an Orthodox
church; and in Nigeria, Muslim radicals murdered hundreds of Christians.
The report also devotes a section to the ongoing global increase in
anti-Semitism, citing Venezuela, Egypt and Iran as countries with
political and religious leaders who openly espouse Holocaust denial and
anti-Israel rhetoric.
New York City Council: No More Church Evictions From Public Schools
Churches threatened with eviction from New York City public schools are
celebrating the city council's passage of a resolution calling on state
lawmakers to protect their right to rent worship space on Sundays, Christianity Today reports.
The Right to Worship Resolution passed 38-11, despite opposition from
Speaker Christine Quinn. "This is one of the first times in recent
memory that the city council has responded to faith-based groups and,
despite significant opposition, passed a resolution supporting their
rights," said Tony Carnes, editor of the website A Journey Through NYC Religions,
which chronicles religious life in New York City. "That's a remarkable
change, and certainly will catch attention." Carnes pointed to a Journey
poll indicating that nearly 70 percent of the neighbors of schools that
rent to churches do not see the rentals as a problematic endorsement of
religion. The long-running legal standoff between churches and the
city's education department over whether or not schools can ban worship
has been pending since a judge blocked the city's ban last June and the
city appealed. The Supreme Court declined to hear the relevant lawsuit
by the Bronx Household of Faith, and a previous attempt by lawmakers at
the state level to permit church rentals failed.
Pope: Atheists Redeemed by Doing Good
Pope Francis caused a stir this week when he declared during his homily
at Wednesday Mass in Rome that everyone was redeemed through Jesus,
including atheists, the Huffington Post reports.
Francis emphasized the importance of "doing good" as a principle that
unites all humanity, and told the story of a Catholic who asked a priest
if even atheists had been redeemed by Jesus. "Even them, everyone," the
pope answered. "We all have the duty to good. ... The Lord has redeemed
all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just
Catholics. Everyone! 'Father, the atheists?' Even the atheists.
Everyone! ... We must meet one another doing good. 'But I don’t believe,
Father, I am an atheist!' But do good: we will meet one another there."
Cleanup Efforts Continue in Oklahoma
Oklahoma officials say they do not expect to find any more bodies or
survivors buried in the rubble left by Monday's deadly EF5 tornado,
which pulverized a mile-wide path through the Oklahoma City suburb of
Moore, WORLD reports. The death toll stands at 24,
including 10 children. Officials had originally feared the number of
dead could climb as high as 100, based largely on the twister's complete
destruction. Local hospitals treated more than 300 people, and rescue
crews pulled more than 200 others from the rubble Monday night. The
state's insurance department estimates the damage could top $2 billion.
Survivors are beginning to tell harrowing stories of huddling in closets
and bathrooms, watching as the storm peeled back roofs and obliterated
walls. It pushed winds of more than 200 mph and had the power of many
atomic bombs, scientists said.
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