Declaring the end from the beginning...

Remember the former things long past,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me,
Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;
Calling a bird of prey from the east,
The man of My purpose from a far country.
Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass.
I have planned it, surely I will do it.

Isaiah 46:9-11

Remember. What do I remember? I remember my first bee sting, which also became my first bloody nose. I remember the night I prayed for Jesus to come into my life. I remember the first time I understood searing pain the unexpected death of a friend can bring. I remember the beach where I grew up. I remember the first time I saw the Northern Lights. I remember my first ski trip…and I remember how much better the second was. I remember learning what betrayal was. I remember my first horse. I remember my first piano lesson. I remember when I knew without a doubt I would end up in ministry. I remember knowing I would go to a Christian college…I don’t remember making the decision…I just remember knowing. I remember my first day of college. I remember meeting my wife. I remember the day I knew I would marry her. I remember our wedding. I remember the first time I understood how to live in humility. I remember learning we were going to have our first baby. I remember when my son was born. I remember how much I cried and how humbled I felt holding him for the first time. I remember thinking I could never love anything more than I did at that moment. I remember. Why do I remember? Because it made in impression, great or small, on my life.

What should I remember? The good? The bad? Remember them both…and learn from them. I have distinct memories from 25 of the 27 years I have been alive. But what do those memories serve me? Some bring joy. Others bring pain. All bring experience, and, should I so choose, wisdom. I learned not to play with a bee’s nest. I have since learned how to deal with bloody noses. I learned how to react to and handle pain. I continue to learn how to love. And what does any of it profit me? To what purpose do I remember what I have experienced…gained…lost? To fulfill the Lord’s purpose for my life. I learn each day more about the God who pulled me from sin and death and brought me into life and love. Whether I choose to learn or not, God’s plans will come to pass. God will use me as He sees fit. Why not bring all the more honor to Him in the process? Why not enjoy the life God has given me? Why not recall the suffering and the triumph, and glorify Him for all of it?

Why do I remember my life experiences? Because they continue to teach me even today, years after they happened. Many memories bring me joy and comfort, and cause me to praise the Lord for what He has given. Others bring heartache and pain, and cause me to praise the Lord for what He has helped me endure. As I continue to experience life, still others are brought to mind as though they were happening all over again…and the Lord uses them to guide my steps that I may not make the same mistake twice.

My memories help to shape and mold my life. So then, if the Lord is the most important thing in my life…in all of history, should I not remember Him? Should I not recall to mind the things He has done and the promises He has made to His children? As one of His children, I inherit those promises and am strengthened. I am awed by His works in Genesis. I am stricken by the reality of his wrath toward Israel…Sodom and Gomorrah…sin…my sin. I am humbled by the visions of the Lord to Ezekiel and John. I am broken by His mercy toward me, and am ever grateful for His grace through the Lord, Jesus Christ.

What right do I have to forget the Lord? Reading through the Old Testament, it’s fairly evident the dangers of not remembering God. Over and over the anger of the Lord burns against Israel and He gives them into the hands of their enemies. Forgetfulness is not a valid excuse. Dare I tempt that anger? No.

Why remember? For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me… God’s will has been made known from the beginning of time. God has spoken. God will bring it to pass. He will be glorified, and He holds sovereignty over all things…including my comparatively insignificant life. But a life that He created and treasures. It is a life into which he pours unchecked, His abounding love, grace and mercy. That God would call me to glorify Himself is beyond all reason, for I have forgotten Him many times. Sometimes that forgetfulness has been intentional. May the Lord bring to mind continually all that He has done in my life, that I may remember Him and praise Him for how He has led me…how He has held me…and never forsaken me.