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Have you ever noticed in the Bible that when God "remembers" someone, things happen? God remembered Noah and all the living things in the ark... God remember Rachel and she got pregnant with Joseph... God remembered His covenant with Abraham and He brought Israel out from slavery... God remembered Hannah...

One of my favorite remember verses is
Numbers 10:9 And when you go into battle in your land against the foe distressing you, then you shall blow with the trumpets, and you shall be remembered before Jehovah your God. And you shall be saved from your enemies.

This word zâkar is a base root word that means to mark so as to be recognized. It is translated, remembrance, be mindful of, record. It is also a Hebrew idiom to be male as in the most noteworthy sex. Hmmm. Other idioms are to think on, remember still, and remember well. We mark Jesus’ death and resurrection with the Lord’s Supper.

Of course, God doesn’t need us to bring to His mind something He might have forgotten, or to blow trumpets to wake Him up to the fact we are waging a battle against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places, not against flesh and blood. He knows the number of hairs on our head, the attitudes and inner most thoughts of our hearts that sometimes we don’t even express to ourselves.

So why does the Bible have all these references to God remembering?

God marked Noah and his family to be saved.

God marked Lot to be saved because of Abraham and Lot was a righteous man in the face of all the wicked in the city.

God marked Rachel in two way. First she was barren. Then miraculously she bore Joseph and Benjamin. A testimony to God’s power.

God marked Hannah in the same way.

The Children of Israel were marked as His Chosen People, set aside to be the Light of the World, even though they didn’t obey Him, honor Him, or continuously worship Him. He marked them because of His covenants with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

I especially like the way John Wesley puts it: “God's remembering Noah was the return of his mercy to mankind, of whom he would not make a full end.”

Notice Hannah’s prayerful pleas then Elkanah and family worship and praise God before they return home. God remembered Hannah and she bore Samuel.

David points out in Psalm 78 that the Children of Israel finally remembered that God was their rock, the most High God and their redeemer. And then God remembers they were but flesh and bone—a breath that passes away never to return.

Matthew Henry reminds us: “But where he intends mercy it is his will that we should solicit it; ministers must stir up the good soldiers of Jesus Christ to fight manfully against sin, the world, and the devil, by assuring them that Christ is the captain of their salvation, and will tread Satan under their feet.” Selah=pause and think on these things, remember.

God controls His fierce wrath and serves up huge blessings of mercy. Psalm 98, He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

But let us remember that God has only one avenue for this mercy. Jesus Christ. In Revelation we see emphatically that God also remembers wickedness and serves Babylon the cup of his wrath. Babylon never repents. The wicked never repent, never acknowledge God or praise Him. Let’s make no mistake, however, every head will bow and every knee will bend and every mouth confess that Jesus Christ is LORD, King of kings, forever and ever. Amen.

"God's Words For US" from Cecelia Lester

Yahweh Shammah,