It’s summertime! From days at the lake to family vacation and camp to mission trips, we all love the memories summer can bring. Somehow the memories of those days gone by can bring more joy and excitement to the days of the present. We would love to relive or even recreate them with friends and family. The memories – I really do love them.

So does the Lord.

He calls us to REMEMBER over and over in Scripture, recalling what He has done and the promises of what He has yet to do. Do we REMEMBER what the Lord has done for us, in us, and with us? Do we REMEMBER the promises He has made throughout Scripture? He wants us to every day.

Memories of what He’s already done builds our faith in the callings of today.

As we walk through our theme this year at Planting Roots, our desire is to grow STRONGER STILL. We are taking a close look at 1 Chronicles 16:8-43. It is a prayer of David. Just to recap, the Israelites had just brought the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem. It had been in other places for a long time, but now it was home. This simple Ark had walked with the Israelites through the desert. It held some most precious things inside including Aaron’s staff, the ten commandments, and some manna, all testimonies of God’s grace and provision as He brought the people out of Israel.

The Ark was also where the presence of God dwelt. It was serious. They were not even to touch the Ark, carrying and moving it by poles. The presence of God – whoa.

God had them keep the Ark and the things in it as a reminder of what He had done and the promises He had made, and to pass them on to the next generation. As they brought the Ark into Jerusalem that day, David started his prayer with worship, seek, and then REMEMBER. Here it is:

   Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced, ¹³ you his servants, the descendants of Israel, his chosen ones, the children of Jacob. ¹⁴ He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth. ¹⁵ He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he made, for a thousand generations, ¹⁶ the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac. ¹⁷ He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant: ¹⁸ “To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit.” ¹⁹ When they were but few in number, few indeed, and strangers in it, ²⁰ they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another. ²¹ He allowed no one to oppress them; for their sake he rebuked kings: ²² “Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.” ²³ Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. ²⁴ Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. ²⁵ For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. ²⁶ For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. ²⁷ Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his dwelling place. ²⁸ Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. ²⁹ Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. ³⁰ Tremble before him, all the earth!  The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. ³¹ Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!” ³² Let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them! ³³ Let the trees of the forest sing, let them sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. ³⁴ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. ³⁵ Cry out, “Save us, God our Savior; gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, and glory in your praise.” ³⁶ Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Then all the people said “Amen” and “Praise the Lord.”

I love this. David walks through so much of what the Lord has done for the people of Israel. He wants them to REMEMBER, not just because it’s sweet and wonderful. Faithfulness, strength, hope, and trust in the Living God are going to be necessary for them to be the people He desires them to be, for Him to use them in mighty and powerful ways.

He needed them to REMEMBER in order to build their faith, but also to give them strength to stand.

Some days they faced were going to be hard. To hold on, to remain faithful in those most difficult times, to be a holy people, they would need to REMEMBER who He was, what He had done, and what He had promised to do. They would need to REMEMBER.

So do we.

The story above about building their faith and strengthening them to walk through difficult days could very well be the story of us. We too need our faith strengthened. We too are called to be a holy people, set apart. We too will face difficult days and need to be reminded of the good Father who was and still is.

Taking communion this past Sunday, I was reminded again of the call to REMEMBER. Jesus told them in Luke 22:19-20, “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁰ In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.””

“Do this in remembrance of me” – even in some of His last words, Jesus was telling us to REMEMBER. He knew we would have a tendency to forget, and yet remembering was vital to our faith and our lives.

So, our challenge is the same. REMEMBER.

Take time to REMEMBER today. Write down what He has done for you, in you, and with you. He is faithful. He is good. He has much for you still to do.

For our faith to be strengthened and our lives to be holy, we must remember who He is and what He has done.

REMEMBER.

What has the Lord done or is the Lord doing in your life? How do you make sure to remember those things? How does remembering change your perspective?

Kori Yates loves adventure. Her former life as a Marine and ongoing stint as an Army wife has given her just that. Desiring to bring together Christian military women and impact a globe for Christ, she has helped launch Planting Roots. Through events, online Bible study, and a social media community, their prayer is for revival among military women. Kori is also an author (Olive Drab Pom-Poms) and speaker, as well as a homeschooling mom of two amazing kids and wife to one awesome Soldier.