“Remember this, fix it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. Remember the former things, those of long ago. . .” (Isa 46:8)
Remember . . .
Why would you tell someone to “remember”?
Personally, I am the most apt to tell someone to “remember” what they are the most likely to “forget”!
God is no different. When we are the most apt to forget, God says: “Remember . . .”
There are many “Remember”s in the Bible, but when I read the one found in Isaiah 46:8-10, it nearly jumped off the page.
Why?
The Children of Israel were facing the destruction of their Temple, their city, and their nation. They were in the worst bind they had ever found themselves in. But in the midst of all these problems, who did they turn to for help? “Some pour out gold from their bags and weigh out silver on the scales; they hire a goldsmith to make it into a god, and they bow down and worship it.” (Isa 46:6)
They turned to idols—images made of gold and silver, wood and stone—images that could neither hear nor speak—images that had no power to save them.
But before you get too hard on Israel, take a moment to remember how you responded the last time you felt as if your world had dropped out from under you! Of course, everyone’s response to troubled times is different, but so often we hear: “God has really abandoned me this time!” Or “Why isn’t God answering me!” Sometimes we stand firm for months, even years, but even those who choose to walk by faith sometimes find themselves doubting, wondering if God will ever intervene in their situation. One of the most common mistakes we make is to try to remedy the situation on our own. We put our faith in something earthly instead of in Someone Heavenly. And in so doing, we “hire a goldsmith to make it (the gold and silver) into a god . . .”
But in the midst of all of this, God cries out to us: REMEMBER!!! “Remember this, fix it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. Remember the former things, those of long ago. Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.” (Is. 46:8,9)
So what are we to do when it seems like the bottom has dropped out of our lives? When it seems like God is being silent? When nothing is being done to remedy our situation? We are to REMEMBER! REMEMBER the former things. REMEMBER how God has intervened in the past. REMEMBER that God is God and there is none like Him. REMEMBER that His ways are not our ways. REMEMBER that His purpose will stand.
Love in Christ,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Moderator, The Nugget, Scriptural Nuggets ( www.scripturalnuggets), Answers2Prayer Ministries, www.Answers2Prayer.org