These things I remember, and pour out my soul within me. Psalm 42:4
One of the problems that I have is that I am quick to forget all of the things God has done for me in my life and dwell on the negative thing that might be happening in the moment.
God knows we will have times like these. He also knows what needs to be done to bring ourselves up out of those times. It can be summed up in one word.
Remember.
We need to remember all God has done for us.
From telling Joshua to build the rock pile alter by the Jordan river (Joshua 4:6-7), to David reminding himself to remember all God has done (including remembering God from the land of Jordan (Psalm 41:6), to Christ's command to remember Him through the sacrament of communion (Do this in remembrance of me, I Corinthians 11: 23-25), God knows we need to remember.
He knows we need the reassurance of all He has done not only for us, but for all those who have come before us.
I am reminded of how much a group of old friends like to sit around and reminisce when they get together. Story after story of, "Remember when ..." pour forth, greeted with smiles and laughter.
That is just what we need to do with God! Whether it is creating our own pile of memory stones, writing down in a journal, keeping a calendar, or whatever else works, we can build our own encouragement memories.
How easily we forget all that God has done. When current troubles raise up, our tendency as humans seems to be to begin to doubt God can handle our problems. Yet, God is faithful!
One of my mom's favorite sayings is "God hasn't brought me this far to let me down now."
The only way we can say that is by looking back and remembering what God has done.
I'd encourage you to find a way to find a tangible way to number all God has done in days gone past. Then, in the difficult times, you can easily remember God.
Father God, thank you for all you have done, now only in our past, but in the lives of those who have gone before us. Help us to remember and to share the many ways you have worked in our lives, so that we may be encouraged to hold on when holding on is challenging for us. Amen and amen. So be it, Lord.