“Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome” (Nehemiah 4:14)

Life is hard, draining at times, and pain does not take a break even when the holidays arrive. Instead of celebrating and thanking we drench and get soaked with the numbness that our pains have brought us.

But the only attitude that can lay aside every weight and melt our stony or numb heart is an attitude of thanksgiving. Looking back into those times where God has done so much for us directly and through people will soften our hearts to receive from Him. If we cannot receive God’s Word we fail to live the Life He died for us to have.

• Remembering the goodness of God in the past, will help us in seasons where it’s harder to see Him. “Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God” (Deuteronomy 8:11).
• It is good for us to remember God’s promises. It is good for us to stay in communication with God when life has not gone the way we expected it to. The Hebrew words for “remember” – zakar – and “not forget – lo shakach – are both in active tense. They are “doing” verbs. Just as we take action by praying, we also take action by calling God’s truths into the present.

Remembering and reminding are tools of our faith that we can apply to each and every season.

Know that when life is painful, it will not always stay that way. Let’s remember God’s faithfulness to us in the past, and have hope that we will again see it in the future.

Inspired by Esther Fleece, author of "No More Faking Fine"