Here’s a fun Bible trivia fact: The word “remember” (and its variants) appears over 8,000 times in the Bible.
As we celebrate Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection this weekend, remembering calls us to a more intimate relationship with God. I’m currently reading through the Old Testament, and the amount of times God commands the Israelites to “remember” or “do not forget” seems countless.
No matter what waves come, God calls us to give thanks and to recount all that He has done for us.
And yet, God’s chosen people endlessly turned their backs on God, forsaking Him to worship false gods.
Within an hour of learning something, research shows we forget about 50% of the information. As someone who is currently pregnant, I forget things even quicker.
But unlike being forced to recall information from a college-hall lecture, God isn’t calling us to remember random facts for the sake of regurgitating them. On the contrary, when He commands His followers to “remember,” there’s a specific purpose behind it — and it’s ultimately for our good and His glory.
To stay grounded in truth
Remembering helps us stay connected to what God has done — His promises, faithfulness, and guidance. Forgetting leads to drifting away or repeating mistakes like the Israelites did over and over again.
Throughout their 40-year journey, running in circles around the wilderness, the Israelites continued to doubt God and His goodness. God rescued them from the harsh grip of the Egyptians, miraculously parted the Red Sea, rained down manna from heaven, provided quail by a strong wind, supplied water from a rock, and ensured their clothes never wore out.
And yet, despite these incredible miracles and provisions, the Israelites turned to idolatry.
When Moses was on Mount Sinai, the Israelites grew tired of waiting for him during those 40 days and 40 nights, so they turned back to their pagan practices. Instead of Moses’ brother, Aaron, reminding them of God’s truth and His unchanging character, he succumbed to their request and directed them to gather up gold. Aaron not only built an altar in front of the calf, he announced a festival to take place. Consequences ensued upon Moses’ return, which included people dying and a plague.
It can be easy for us to think how ridiculous it is that the Israelites couldn’t wait for Moses to come down the mountain because the timing didn’t suit them. But how many times do we immediately doubt God because He’s not doing something on our timetable and turn to anything but God and His truth?
To build faith
Looking back on past seasons where God showed up for us can strengthen our trust in Him when we’re facing hardship and uncertainty. One way we can do this is by setting up visual reminders of God’s faithfulness: creating our own ebenezers.
In Hebrew, “ebenezer” means “stone of help.” The great prophet Samuel created the first one to commemorate God’s incredible provision for the Israelites. Many are familiar with the word because it’s in the well-known hymn “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” written by Robert Robinson, a Baptist minister. The renowned line goes: “Here I raise my Ebenezer, Here by Thy great help I’ve come.”
It’s by God’s great help and undeserving mercy that the Israelites defeated the Philistines when the Philistines had planned to attack them. After 20 years of infidelity along with the Ark of the Covenant being in pagan possession, the Israelites repented of their sin and pleaded with Samuel during this pivotal moment of history: “Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines” (1 Samuel 7:8).
When the Israelites faced an impossible situation, they came back to the living God, humbly asking for help. God “thundered” against the Philistines and threw them into “confusion,” giving the Israelites a resounding victory over their enemies. Samuel didn’t want them to forget God’s supernatural intervention, so he set up a stone of remembrance and called it “Ebenezer” because “the Lord has helped us” (1 Samuel 7:12).
Similarly, years earlier after God had parted the Jordan River for the Israelites as they entered the Promised Land, God commanded that 12 stones representing the 12 tribes of Israel be set up to commemorate God’s unwavering faithfulness.
To give thanks and teach future generations
Remembering can be a form of worship. It helps us remain grateful and humble, recognizing that we’re part of something bigger than ourselves. God often told people to remember and tell — to pass on stories of deliverance so others could learn, believe, and trust in the one who is unchanging.
The apostle Paul calls us to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). No matter what waves come, God calls us to give thanks and to recount all that He has done for us.
It strengthens my faith when I read miraculous biblical accounts, looking back on His faithfulness in my own life, and hearing modern-day stories of how God provided when situations looked bleak. God healed my mother-in-law from cancer; God opened my friend’s womb after seven years of waiting; God provided a husband for me in the most wild, unexpected way; God answered three specific prayers when my dad was dying of an incurable disease; and so much more.
We must share these kinds of stories with others to encourage them, to tell of God’s faithfulness, and ultimately to give God the glory for the great things He has done. These miracle stories are to point others to Him and build upon our own ebenezer.
More importantly, God commands us to pass the faith along to the next generation, teaching our children of His wondrous deeds.
In Psalm 78, we are instructed not to “hide” these stories from our children. The Psalmist says, “But tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.”
This recurring theme of teaching our children about God can be found throughout the scriptures. As God relays His commandments to Moses in the wilderness, Moses instructs the Israelites saying: “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).
Here’s my practical suggestion for this solemn yet celebratory weekend: Instead of scrolling social media for a new nugget of truth, listening to podcasts for a new perspective on Easter, or expecting your pastor to preach a new angle on the resurrection, look back at what God has done in your life.
Reflect — and then take action:
Grab a pen and write three clear answers to prayer you’ve experienced in your life.
Open a new “notes” page in your phone app and make a list of at least 15 things you are grateful for.
Find a Sharpie and write down any major struggles that Christ has freed you from — then tear the sheet up and throw away the pieces.
Set aside time with your spouse, close friend, and/or children and reminisce about the details of how you came to know the Lord and how He has changed your life through His work on the cross.
Set up your own ebenezer to commemorate the miracles God has done in your life and how He has worked faithfully to provide for you.
Remember, Christianity, Christian, God, Ebenezer, Prophet samuel, Easter, Faith
