God has been showing me the importance of remembering and declaring His wonders.
"Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim His greatness. Let the whole world know what He has done. Sing to Him, yes, sing His praises. Tell everyone of His wonderful deeds... Remember the wonders He has performed, His miracles, and the rulings He has given." Psalm 105: 1-2,5
" Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever. Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others He has redeemed you from your enemies." Psalm 107:1-2
We are a forgetful people. How quickly we forget all that God has done. And when we forget we slip into doubt, worry, and despair. The lies of the Enemy are easy to believe. We feel the need to step up and take control. We turn away from our Savior.
Psalm 106 is a snapshot of the nation of Israel. A theme quickly emerges. See if this sounds at all familiar.
The psalm starts with "Praise the Lord! Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever. Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord? Who can praise Him enough?"
However they soon became forgetful. "They soon forgot His many acts of kindness to them. Instead they rebelled against Him at the Red Sea."
Yet He still rescues them and redeems them from their enemies. "Yet how quickly they forgot what He had done!" Rebellion. Misery. Consequences.
Yet His unfailing love "Again and again He rescued them, but they chose to rebel against Him, and they were finally destroyed by their sin. Even so, He pitied them in their distress and listened to their cries. He remembered His covenant with them and relented because of His unfailing love."
I can be just as forgetful. I can start to doubt. I can get tired of waiting. I can become tired and discouraged. I can start to stray and turn from God.
Yet, I also have known the exact opposite. I have known what it is like to remember. To not simply remember but to declare His mighty wonders. To myself, to others, to God. To praise Him and give Him glory for all that He has done.
These verses tell us to not simply remember but to meditate. When I remember, meditate, and declare His wonders I am strengthened and encouraged. I am filled with great faith and belief in who my God is. I declare His goodness to those around me. I choose to follow Him. I walk by faith. I wait upon Him with great anticipation. I seek Him more fully.
Oh the stories I could share! And these are not simple stories. These are WOW, let me sit down and share every detail with you. Let me tell you how God did not simply answer. He answered in such a way that there was no doubt it was completely and only because of Him!
His provision? I have stories from jobs, to housing ,to cars, to finances. I have such stories of His faithfulness.
His perfect timing? One of my favorite stories of all includes a long period of waiting.... and was I blown away in His timing. Was the waiting easy, no. Was it worth it, yes! Did I know more of God because of the waiting and seeing His answer? yes and yes!
His love. Can I even begin to tell you the many ways He shows His love to me. How He declares it to me. How He declares His love in His Word and He also speaks it very personally to my heart.
I can share stories of how I have seen His work in friends lives. I can share big stories about God but I can also share stories of how He cares about the smallest details of my day. I can share stories from the past. I can share stories from the present. How I love remembering His wonders!
And this is simply my experience. It does not even compare to what is recorded in scripture. Talk about wonders He has done. Just think of the stories that are familiar from Sunday School. Yet when you stop and mediate on them. wow, what wonders. Moses and the Red Sea, Joshua and the walls of Jericho, Father Abraham and Isaac, Daniel and the lions den, Gideon, David and Goliath.... to simply name a few. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
May I be quick to remember.
What story do you have to share? Why not encourage yourself and someone else with His wonders.
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