Today’s specially earmarked—for remembering. A Memorial Day.

We need Memorials (of various kinds). We too easily forget.

But I’m talking about more here than national history…

“Forget Me Not!”

Lately I’ve been memorizing Psalm 103—“Bless the LORD, O my soul…and forget not all His benefits…”

And the word “remember” has been resounding in my mind.

It abounds in scripture. It re-echoes throughout the Psalms—often amid someone’s struggle with anguish, depression, fear, or uncertainty. God’s word repeats and repeats it as a command to His people.

But I—but we—so easily forget—sometimes when our own depression or fear fogs our thinking; sometimes just because life gets easy and our mind gets lax.

What to do about our tendency to forget? Scripture gives some clever—but solemn—examples and hints…

From the Great Instruction and Hint Book:

Special Days: From weekly Sabbaths to yearly feasts, to semi-centennial jubilees, their purpose was to help God’s people “remember:” God’s six-day completion of creation, His deliverance from bondage and death, His holiness and our need of a sacrifice to atone for our unholiness…

Symbolic foods: Passover lamb, bitter herbs, unleavened bread, recalling God’s rescue from bondage and death. Bread and wine representing Christ body and blood given for our redemption…

Objects of reminder:

Manna in the Ark of the Covenant (daily provision)

Twelve stones in a river and twelve others piled alongside (walking through dryshod).

A stone named Ebenezer (“Thus far has the LORD helped us.”)

An ephod arrayed with twelve unique precious stones (representing twelve delivered tribes)…

Special tassels on garments (“Be holy”)

Written Remembrances:

Of Joshua’s God-given victory via Moses’ holding up of hands (“Write this for a memorial in a book…”)

Of God’s commands (on Moses’ tablets, on engraved stones at the entrance to the promised land).

The word delivered through the prophets of old down through time, to become the canon of scripture we have today.

Any “book of remembrance” (like in Malachi)…

Personal Memorials

I have my own personal memorials, besides the special days and symbols of the church at large (like Christmas, Easter, the weekly Lord’s Day, and the deeply meaningful Lord’s Supper breaking of bread)–my own unique reminders of God’s love, help, provision, and deliverance in my individual life. Though their dollar value is close to nil, the big truths they remind me of are precious beyond price.

Some examples:

A little bottle of clear glass drops, reminding me of God’s compassion, of how He knows all my sorrows and keeps “my tears in His bottle” as the psalmist poetically puts it.

A round stone in our garden that we’ve moved from state to state—a stone I like to call Ebenezer (copying Samuel the judge), to remind myself how real through my life has been “thus far the LORD has helped…”

Needlework scriptures or pictures on walls, remembrances of God’s blessings, or leading, or instruction—or of the stand(s) I and my husband have taken in faith.

Journals filled with answers to prayer and evidence of God’s hand in myriad situations.

And special blog posts, scattered among the fluff and the philosophical, testifying to God’s amazing dealings and the wonder of His providing love.

Memorials: good to have, indeed!