Those who know me well know that my memory is a fickle thing. Ask my wife what transpires in the seconds prior to placing our order at a drive through. All the orders of the family are clearly stated in the car, and as soon as I arrive at the the squawk box to place the order, all I can manage is a blank stare. In one moment, I forget every order and can barely remember what it is that I want to eat. Inevitably, Ruth must lean over me and place the order. In order to remember, I must write things down. If such simple things can be lost in mere seconds, what of life's treasured memories? I keep a simple log of life—those little memories I don’t want to forget. It can range from things I am praying for to the mundane parts of my day that remind me of God's faithfulness in every stage of life. I recently opened one of those little books, turned to the second page, and read, “May 5, 2016: Adah gave her profession of faith in front of the whole church today. I hope I never forget walking her down the steps from the balcony to send her to the front of the church. It was moving to see her walk alone to the front of the church. She waved at us in the balcony over and over. It was her first taste of communion.”  This memory is sandwiched between other entries such as, “spent the rest of the day on the Natchez Trace," and, "I am thankful for a loving wife on Mother’s Day.” It was as if I was writing to myself that day. I now remember God’s faithfulness to take a tiny baby who was baptized into the Church and who now owned the treasure of Jesus Christ and his salvation as her own faith. Is there a greater treasure than seeing your flesh and blood love Jesus as their own? During my daily life over the past 3 years, I have not recalled that memory. Remember, Nathan, God is a faithful God! All I have to do is tolle lege—take up and read—and I will remember.
 
Over and over again God calls us to the precious memories recorded in his Word! He instructs his Church to read what has been written. The Bible is a recorded reminder of God’s faithfulness. It is quite practical for us to have this kind of instruction and tool at hand. How quick are we to forget God's promises in the heat of despair or anxiety? A perfect example of this forgetfulness can be found in the Israelites. Surely the Israelites—a people who saw God shake the foundations of Egypt, rend the land, and crush the enemy in their presence—couldn’t forget God’s faithfulness. But as they felt the first pangs of hunger from lack of food and parched mouths from lack of water, they were ready to return to Egypt. We are but one trial away from forgetting God’s care and provision. God, in his kindness, sets into words a reminder for his people. In Deuteronomy 6:9 we read, “You shall write them (the law of God) on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”  Why? Verse 10 continues, “...when the Lord your God brings you into the land …with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of good things that you did not fill, and cisterns you did not dig, and vineyards you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.”  Write his provision on your doorposts and on your gates so that it is always before you. God’s faithfulness is a promise that is new every morning, and we must not be a people who forget it. Tolle lege—take up and read—of the historical and present realities of God’s faithfulness. It also helps to make a small notation somewhere so that you remember in everyday, mundane moments—God is near, faithfully close, meeting you daily with the bread of life that sustains his people as he has promised!  Next week, we will consider another aspect of remembering God’s faithfulness: telling others.

Grace and Peace,
Pastor Nathan