Remembering What God Has Done: Key Bible Verses
In times of hardship, it can be easy to lose sight of God’s faithfulness. When we face trials, we may be tempted to focus only on our difficult circumstances rather than remembering the many ways God has helped us in the past.
But scripture urges us to recall God’s mighty deeds, to take encouragement from his demonstrated power and willingness to sustain us.
As the psalmist declares, ‘I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago’ (Psalm 77:11).
In this comprehensive article, we will explore key Bible verses about the importance of remembering God’s faithfulness, examine stories that illustrate his past deeds, and consider how recollection fuels our faith.
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Scripture repeatedly commands God’s people to actively remember his wondrous works on their behalf, from creation and the exodus to Christ’s sacrifice. Recalling specifics about how he has guided, provided, and redeemed fuels faith and hope for the future.
The Exodus as a Pivotal Event to Remember
Remembering Deliverance from Slavery
The Exodus story is central to the history of the Jewish people. As described in the book of Exodus, God delivered the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt in about 1446 BCE. This defining moment showed God’s power and care for His people.
After generations of brutal oppression as slaves, God dramatically intervened and brought them freedom, accomplishing mighty miracles on their behalf. This demonstrated God’s compassion and that He hears their cries.
The Exodus served as a vivid reminder for all future generations of God’s salvation and need to fully rely on Him.
Remembering God’s Power and Provision
A key theme of the Exodus account is how God overcomes impossible odds to achieve the miraculous on behalf of His people. Through the 10 dramatic plagues, He systematically judged each Egyptian god to display His supremacy.
With pillars of cloud and fire, He then led the Israelites on the long trek towards Canaan. According to conservative estimates, up to 2.5 million Israelites were involved in this mass migration.
God also miraculously provided food, water and protection for their journey through the bleak wilderness where survival seemed doubtful.
Yet He rained down manna and quail from heaven for sustenance. At Marah when the waters were bitter, God made them sweet.
At Rephidim God instructed Moses to strike the rock to bring forth water. God can supply any need when human means fall short, accomplishing the impossible.
The Exodus as a Pattern for God’s Future Salvation
The Exodus deliverance became an anchor for Israel’s faith and a foreshadowing of a greater redemption to come. It displayed God’s commitment to save His people despite difficult circumstances. Through the prophet Isaiah, God promised a second Exodus for the future messianic age (Isaiah 11:15-16).
This Exodus would facilitate Israel’s return from exile and entry into an era of peace and glory. The New Testament builds extensively on Exodus themes of salvation and deliverance.
In Luke 9:31 at the transfiguration, Moses and Elijah spoke to Jesus about His coming “exodus” – pointing to His impending sacrificial death that would deliver humanity.
So while the historic Exodus foreshadowed redemption from slavery, Christ’s work brought spiritual freedom from sin.
The Exodus account is thus a pattern for how God intervenes to bring both physical and spiritual salvation according to His timing and purposes.
Remembering God’s Creation and Providence
Recalling God’s Role as Creator
As humans, it can be easy to take God’s role as Creator for granted. However, there are many Bible verses that remind us of the magnificence and intricacy of God’s creative work.
Genesis 1 provides a beautiful poetic account of God speaking the world into being – imagining the cosmos bursting forth at His command is truly awe-inspiring.
The Psalmist also reflects on God’s creative power, stating “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1).
Recalling that the mountains, rivers, animals, and all people originated from God’s imagination and Word can fill us with wonder and gratitude.
Remembering How God Sustains Creation
Not only did God create the universe, but the Bible teaches that He actively sustains it – without His upholding power, the world would cease to be.
As Colossians 1:17 states, “in him all things hold together.” Hebrews 1:3 also describes Jesus as “sustaining the universe by his powerful word.”
God is intimately involved in each moment, sustaining the functioning of every atom and ecosystem. Recalling God’s providential care can give us deep comfort, knowing the ground beneath our feet exists only because of His care.
It can also inspire awe at the unfathomable power required to sustain all things.
Appreciating God’s Intricate Creative Design
God’s creative work displays incredible attention to detail and intricacy. The human eye alone, with its delicate parts working in unison, testifies to His ingenious design.
The diversity and symbiosis seen throughout nature also speak to the nuance of God’s creativity.
As Psalm 94:9 states, “He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?” The amazing functionality and complexity of creation points to the wisdom and craftsmanship of the Creator.
Noticing and appreciating details like the vivid colors of birds, the perfect geometry of snowflakes, and the amazing abilities of the human brain can cultivate greater reverence for God’s meticulous creative genius.
Remembering Christ’s Sacrifice and Victory
Christ’s Death as the Basis for Salvation
Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross is the fundamental truth on which Christian salvation is based. By dying in place of sinners, Jesus paid the penalty for sin that humans could not pay themselves (Romans 3:23-26).
This magnificent display of God’s love and mercy allows people to be reconciled to God when they place their faith in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Christ’s atoning death for sin is referenced throughout Scripture (1 Corinthians 15:3, Hebrews 9:28, 1 Peter 3:18).
His shed blood cleanses people from sin and guilt (1 John 1:7). When people repent and believe in Christ, they are saved from condemnation through His sufficient sacrifice (Romans 8:1).
Recalling Details Deepens Understanding and Gratitude
Meditating on the specific details of Jesus’ suffering and death prompts Christians to appreciate more fully the high price He paid. Isaiah 53 vividly foretells the pain and humiliation Jesus endured – being whipped, mocked, and crucified.
Studying each aspect of His anguish reveals the depths of Christ’s love and motivates greater devotion (Galatians 2:20).
In addition, regularly remembering how Jesus intercede for His enemies while suffering (Luke 23:34) and forgave the criminal crucified beside Him (Luke 23:39-43) models the forgiveness Christians are to extend to others, even amid injustice.
Recounting the full passion story transforms hearts with gratitude.
Memory of Christ’s Triumph Over Death Fosters Hope
While Good Friday marks the darkest day in history, the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday represents His victory over sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:54-57).
Christ’s resurrection confirms that His atoning sacrifice was accepted by God, and all who believe in Jesus are resurrected spiritually and will one day be resurrected physically (John 11:25, Romans 6:5).
Remembering Christ’s power over death fills believers with hope. Even when facing grief, pain, despair, and uncertainty, Christians can anchor their trust and anticipation on the risen Savior who has overcome the world (John 16:33).
Meditating often on Christ’s resurrection life encourages confident expectation that God will one day make all things new (Revelation 21:5).
Practical Tips for Remembering
Personal Testimony and Journaling
Journaling our experiences with God allows us to go back and remember His faithfulness (Psalm 77:11-12). Through writing down what we learn, we create a record that can remind us of God’s goodness when times get tough.
Regular journaling habits like praise lists, prayer logs, or noting lessons learned are great ways to testify in our own words the things God has done.
Songs, Hymns, and Poetry
Music is known to boost memory performance because of how the brain encodes information for storage and retrieval. Songs and hymns that tell of God’s deeds are useful reminders of his mighty acts (Psalm 40:3).
We can recall lyrics much easier than plain text, so putting our testimonies to music is an effective memory technique.
Memorials, Feasts, and Rituals
God instituted feasts like Passover and rituals like Communion to ensure the people of God remembered what He had done for them (Exodus 12:14, Luke 22:19). These symbolic acts use physical items that engage our senses to impress spiritual truths more deeply so we don’t forget.
Conclusion
Throughout scripture, God urges his people to actively remember – to call to mind in detail his wondrous works on their behalf. When they faced trials, he wanted them to look back and recall specifics about how he had guided, provided, and redeemed them.
As we’ve explored, remembrance fuels faith and motivates obedience. God knows that our trust in him grows when we intentionally remember his faithfulness.
By taking time to memorialize his deeds through songs, rituals, testimonies, and more, we open our hearts to encouragement from the past, strength for the present, and hope for the future.
