Remembering

Sometimes all I can do is sit in my prayer chair and thank Him for His goodness.

When words won’t come and when I’m having a difficult time sensing His ever-abiding presence, I often simply sit and give thanks while recalling His faithfulness.

Mark 8 records one of the miracle of feeding thousands with 7 loaves of bread and a few small fish.
It’s an incredible story that many of us are familiar with.
And the disciples had a front row seat to the supernatural provision.

The Word says that that Jesus, “took the seven loaves, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces.”  It continues on, “He gave them to His disciples, who distributed the bread to the crowd.”  (8:6)

Not only did the students of Jesus get a close-up look into this extraordinary display of compassion, faithfulness, and power, they participated in the process.  Scripture says that it wasn’t until the bread was back in their hands that it began to multiply.

I picture an astonishing Peter looking at his peers saying, “Is it just me, or does it seem that the more we give, the more we get?!”

And for me this is a beautiful picture of a tender Savior, providing for the practical needs by interceding radically.

But flashing forward to verses 14-21 we see something happen that may feel a little too familiar.

Immediately following this glorious demonstration of unconventional blessing, AND their partnership in the provision, we find the very same disciples in an argumentative state (vs 16) concerned over the fact that none of them had packed bread for their boat ride.

And Jesus says to the boys, “Why are you arguing about having no bread?  Don’t you know or understand even yet?  Are your hearts too hard to take it all in?”  (vs 17).  He continues in verse 18, “You have eyes - can’t you see?  You have ears - can’t you hear?  Don’t you remember anything at all?”  He goes on to remind them of the miracle that was just performed that they too soon forgot all about.

The KJV says it this way, “Have ye your heart yet hardened?”  and then continues with, “…do yet not remember?”

And so could it be that not remembering what He has done is a sign of a hard heart?
Here He connects the remembering of the wonders of God to a soft heart and the forgetfulness to a hardened heart.

“Do you remember… have your hearts hardened?”

It’s the greatest question in the hour we are living.

In our fast-paced, overly sensitive, feelings-driven society we often mistake our weariness and our loneliness for abandonment and rejection, and yet perhaps they can best serve as invitations to remember.

Jesus is saying, “When you cannot reason, you can remember.”

And I encourage myself today to remember all He has done.  And I say it with the faith of the Apostle Paul, “… He did rescue us from mortal danger, and He will rescue us again.  We have placed our confidence in Him, and He will continue to rescue us.”  (2 Cor 1:10)

Didn’t He do it?  And won’t He do it again?