What does it mean biblically when God remembers? This is a key word in the book of Nehemiah, as we continue looking at Nehemiah’s prayer.
To “remember” in the Bible is not merely to recall to mind; it is to express concern and to act with loving care.
When God remembers His people, He does so “with favor.”
As we pursue looking at the steps Nehemiah took in rebuilding, he then said, “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but IF YOU RETURN to me and OBEY My commands, and even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my name.” Nehemiah 1: 8-9
In our rebuilding, how can we apply this prayer to our lives? God is still in the gathering business!
Although they (Israel) had sinned and failed, they were still God’s people by virtue of redeeming them; so, it is the same for us!
Look at how God takes their place of disobeying Him to the place that He has chosen for them, as a dwelling for His name.
In our rebuilding, God re-establishes us in that place He has chosen for us.
Ultimately, that’s God’s purpose for us: to take us from a place of scattering us, in our unfaithfulness, into a place that He has chosen to be a dwelling place for His name.
God promises to “bring us back from” to a place of “bringing us into” our promises.
What’s the spiritual analogy here?
There is a place God has for you that’s unique and special.
He is calling us back to rebuild us, so that our purpose in Him will be carried out.
It was very interesting to me that one of the cross scriptures from the above verse in Nehemiah is Jeremiah 29: 14 alluding to the “bringing us back.”
We are all familiar with Jeremiah 29: 11, that we quote often, “…For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
We usually stop there, but read on through Jeremiah 29: 13-14 and he says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you, declares the Lord, and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”
What am I seeing here as another analogy to apply to our lives?
Being rebuilt and placed by God includes being taken out of the place of captivity into the place of His promises. We call that favor!
What steps can we take for the rebuilding process?
- If we’ve strayed from God, return to Him.
- Stay close to His heart and obey Him.
We may not consciously say we’ve strayed from God, but we may still harbor bitterness and hurt in our hearts because our prayers have not been answered as we thought.
Perhaps there’s a situation that happened in your life that does not make sense and doesn’t seem fair at all. How can we remedy that?
Get alone with God and talk with Him about it. He knows how we feel, but there’s something that happens when we position ourselves in that PLACE of needing healing and emotional restoration by Him.
You have permission to grieve with God about that circumstance, if you haven’t done that.
Sort it out with Him and if needed, seek a counselor or a trusted good friend who walks in Godly wisdom.
God has plans for our lives, and He wants to rebuild us to get us to the place where we walk in His favor.
Recall that God carried His people into exile. That means He allowed them to be displaced from their homeland.
Exile is not only a physical displacement but also represents a spiritual and emotional separation from God and community, evoking feelings of loss and longing.
Yes, sin separates us from God, and sometimes the things that happen to us are our own fault. However, there are bad things that God has allowed, and it was not the result of sinning. In fact, there may be no explanation given as we ask, “Why did this happen?”
May I encourage you to drop the “why” and embrace this prayer, “Remember me with favor, O my God.” Nehemiah 13: 31b
These were the last recorded words of Nehemiah. To Nehemiah, his motives throughout his ministry were to please and serve His divine Sovereign Lord.
His concern was for God’s people, but he knew they would forget him.
Fast forward to the New Testament.
How wonderful it is to know that while God does not remember our sin (as Jesus-followers), He will always remember our good works. He even records them in a book.
May God remember you and release His favor to you in unexpected and sudden ways.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on My Beloved’s Voice
KINGDOM ASSURANCE
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