Prayer Week 10: Memorials

Having a good memory can be helpful in many ways. It can also cause problems if we choose to remember the wrong things, or don’t deal with issues from the past. It is important to be intentional about our thoughts and memories, and to do things that will help us remember the good.

 

Psalm 77:11 New American Standard Bible 1995

I shall remember the deeds of the Lord;
Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.

Psalm 105:5 New American Standard Bible 1995

Remember His wonders which He has done,
His marvels and the judgments uttered by His mouth,

Psalm 143:5 New American Standard Bible 1995

I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all Your doings;
I muse on the work of Your hands.

 

The Israelites had many good things to remember. God had done so much for them. They would often build memorials to remind them of specific instances when God had saved them. They used poetry and song (most of the psalms) to remember and remind future generations of who God is and what He had done. They built altars and wore special jewelry to remind themselves to worship only Him.

 

It is important that we do that as well. It is so easy to get bogged down by the troubles of this world and the business of everyday life. Those things drown out thoughts of God and take us away from time with Him. We need things to remind us of what God has done so that we can have faith, joy and hope when times are hard.

 

One way to do this is to write out your prayers or keep a journal of answered prayer. This builds a memorial of what God has done and is a physical reminder of His faithfulness and love. This week, create a record of God’s work in your life, whether it is writing out your prayers or keeping a journal of what He is doing. Make a memorial to honor God and remind yourself that you can trust Him.

 Prayer points taken from Praying Through Adversity by Jennifer Kennedy Dean.