Ezekiel 6:7 “You shall know that I Am the Lord.”
Ezekiel 6:9 “Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive…”

As I remember the many sacrifices made for my country, I also remember the sacrifice my heavenly Father made for me. In Ezekiel’s time, the memory of God’s faithfulness had all but vanished. They had forgotten it was Jehovah who blessed Abraham as the Father of all nations. They had forgotten it was God who preserved His people as He placed Joseph in the seat of Egyptian power. And they had dismissed a God who unleashed His mighty power to part the mighty sea.

The book of Ezekiel is far removed from a Hallmark “feel-good” moment. The destruction Ezekiel pronounced upon Israel as their hearts forgot their loving and protective God must have spread an impending sense of calamity. But on the heels of their doom, a merciful and loving Jehovah unexpectedly reached out and beckoned Israel to remember His faithfulness and return to Him. If they could recall the past goodness of the Great I Am, they would rediscover the God of hope for their future.

Perhaps, we too, should pause today to REMEMBER. Yes, we pause in gratefulness to the Brave who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. But let us also pause today in gratefullness to a loving God who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our salvation.

As we reflect on His goodness, take a moment to remember the times God granted you spiritual healing, and discover hope for future wounds. Look back at the peace God provided in the midst of your trials and grief so that you might confidently reach out and travel rough roads with others, knowing God will sustain. And, remember today how God showed-up in your fiercest confrontations of the past and let that memory fill you with courage to mend any broken relationships in your future.

Peace can reside in our future if we remember our past. That precious gift of Hope brought down from heaven and lovingly laid in the manger assures us of our future eternal inheritance (1 Peter 1: 3–5 NIV). And recalling the many ways God has revealed Himself in our lives allows us to trust in His promise to redeem us (Ephesians 1:7). Friend, remember, God’s past faithfulness remains the same as God’s faithfulness in our future.

Father God, may we never forget your faithfulness to us. May we connect Your goodness in our past to Your promises of goodness in our future.

Blessings,

Rita Cochrane