Day Three: God wants us to remember

Let’s return to the story of the Israelites and their escape from Egypt. God sent multiple plagues upon their captors and finally killed every firstborn in Egypt. Only then did Pharoah allow the Israelites to leave captivity, and they made their way into the desert to set up camp.

If you were God and leading the Israelites, what would you ask them to do next? You could direct them to build fortifications or purchase all the food and provisions they could find to ensure they could travel through the desert.

God did neither of these; instead, we read in the verse immediately after yesterday’s passage that his first priority was establishing rituals so the Israelites would not forget what he had just done. God knew how forgetful the Israelites were, and from the start, he wanted to help them remember.

To begin with, he instructed them to celebrate Passover each year, and then he asked that every firstborn male be consecrated to him. The Israelites hadn’t gone anywhere yet, but they were already participating in practices that would help them to recall and explain everything God had done for them.

David also talks of fulfilling his vows to care for the poor despite his current difficult situation. He knew that acting in faith that God would restore him would let others know how good God is.

Reflect: What practices could you enact to help you remember God’s goodness? Perhaps you could keep a journal of answered prayers. If you don’t already, maybe you could start tithing to demonstrate your faith in God’s provision. Is there anything else?

Prayer: Creator God, help me to find ways to remember your favour and goodness towards me. Enable me to keep those good habits and to sustain them. I don’t want to forget all you have done for me. Amen.