Remember When...?

Recently my brother and I shared some laughs together as we reminisced about some childhood memories...
-Remember when we were in elementary school and mom and dad let us ride the bus from Nebraska to California?!
-Remember when mom sewed lace on the hem of my pants to give them a few more months of wear?
-Remember when mom cut my hair as short as yours and people thought we were twin--boys!?

Often events from the past just seem to pop into my mind, seemingly out of nowhere. Other times things around me jar my memory-a smell reminds me of my grandma or a song from the '80s reminds me of a high school friend. Although it's fun to reminisce about the past, the Lord has been showing me lately how He wants me to actively use my memory-to honor Him.

All throughout the Old Testament Israel is reminded of how God brought them out of slavery. Over and over they are reminded of how God provided manna and quail for them in the desert. They are reminded of how God gave them the Promised Land. The Lord knew that Israel needed to remember His faithfulness in the past because in doing so they would trust Him more completely in the present. And the Lord knows that the same is true for me.

What is going to give me hope in the midst of trials? What is going to help me rest in God as I wait on Him? What is going to cause me to trust Him to provide? What is going to free me from worry? Remembering! Remembering what? Remembering how God has faithfully cared for our family-how He has guided us, provided for us, and blessed us in more ways than we could have imagined.

Specifically, for me, that means calling to mind God's goodness to us these past couple years in seminary... Remembering how God provided an apartment for us, how he provided financially for us month after month, how He brought us wonderful renters for our house in Spokane, how He sustained us when we were ready to quit and how He used trials to help us grow more dependent on Him.

When I'm tempted to worry about the future...When will our house sell? Will we be able to afford a larger home? Will we even be in Spokane long-term? Is an out-of-state move inevitable someday? I need to stop and remember...

What about you?
What do you need to remember?