Ever found yourself in a season so hard you seriously wondered if there would ever be joy and happiness again?
You’re in good company if you have. The devil loves to make us think we are alone in our suffering. He wants nothing more than to isolate us and keep us discouraged.
Can I tell you a secret? You aren’t alone!
My hard season has been an extended hard season, and I’m still waking through it. It’s been hard enough that two years ago, I felt like the “grateful” challenges were too shallow for the depth of my trial. Then I felt God’s nudge to study His goodness which resulted in the Grateful for God’s Goodness devotional series.
Unfortunately, my family is still in the challenging season, and it has managed to get more difficult in the last few weeks. The journey with my son reached a climax, and while I can see God’s fingerprints all over it, it’s still hard. Thankfulness seems a little shallow to me right now. God has put the word remembrance on my mind instead.
Remembering God’s goodness gets our minds off of us and this world or material things and back on the Lord. So, for me, November will be a month for remembrance. Not just thankfulness in general, but a remembrance of what God has done in my life. I intend to pause and remember how he has shown His goodness to me. Right now, I really could use a faith booster. Maybe you can, too.
Throughout the Old Testament, the word remembrance shows up quite a few times, sometimes translated as ‘memorial.’ A quick study with the Blue Letter Bible app uncovered the different ways God called the Israelites to remember or make a memorial.
They were to make a memorial to Him a few times in a few different ways. He instructed them to
- use their clothing (Exodus 28:29, Exodus 39:7, Zechariah 6:14),
- create a feast day (Exodus 12:14),
- make a monument with stones from the Jordan River after they entered the promised land (Joshua 4:7)
- remember His atonement for their lives with money (Exodus 30:16
- Observe a solemn rest (Leviticus 23:24, Numbers 10:10)
Remembrance and making a memorial were tied to strengthening their faith. The times of remembrance were to help them continue walking with the Lord.
I can definitely relate to that. In those really, really hard seasons, the devil likes to tempt us to walk away from our faith. It’s easy to forget the things God has done for us. It’s just as easy to forget that He loves us and wants the best for us. Lord willing, we’ll peek at some of these commands throughout the month. So consider this part 1!
Join me as I take November to remember. Despite the hard things of life and the painful circumstances we may find ourselves in, let’s tune our hearts to sing God’s praise. Remembering God’s goodness and faithfulness is a form of praise and worship; therefore, we can honor God and renew our faith at the same time.
I’m taking it beyond the 30 days of November and completing 40 days of remembrance as prompted in Nicki Koziarz’s book, Flooded. She challenges her readers with the significance of 40 in scripture and to do something for 40 days. I chose remembrance.
So are you with me?
