Day 4 – Prayer to Remember

These words of instruction were given to the Israelites after they had been freed from 400 years of slavery. Moses wanted the people to remember all they had seen, the many miraculous experiences they had gone through, as well as the judgments of God that had been carried out when His people disobeyed and sinned against Him.

You would think you wouldn’t have to remind people to never forget the powerful movements of God or His ongoing faithfulness. Yet a quick look at our own lives reveals just how easy it is to forget all that God has done for us. It’s so easy to develop amnesia. It’s so easy to take our eyes off of all that God has done in our past and fill our focus with our current, seemingly impossible circumstances. It’s so easy to become completely self-centered and start to believe we are self-made, all the while forgetting that everything we have – gifts, possessions, talents, abilities, provision, etc. – all come from His hand.

Moses issued these words to God’s people, not just so God would get the credit and glory from them. Instead, he saw the bigger picture. He knew that if the generations coming up didn’t hear these stories being remembered by the older generations there would end up being an entire generation who knew nothing of God or all that He has done. We see this all the time in our homes today:

Grandpa – faithfully followed Jesus and faithfully attended church —> Dad – says attending church is optional —> Son – attending church is unnecessary —> Grandson – Jesus who?

In your life, where have you seen the evidence of God’s goodness, faithfulness, provision, even miracles? What can you do – starting today – to intentionally remember and avoid the amnesia of the Israelites?

In our church, what are the stories of God’s power, faithfulness, goodness, or provision that need to be remembered and told to the next generations? Will you commit to telling God’s story and invest in the next generations?