Last night after doing some bible study, I opened my She Reads Truth Bible app on my phone before bed. I’m inconsistently trying to complete the Bible in a Year Reading Plan on their app. I like this app for many reasons, but one of the reasons is that this reading plan marks through what I’ve read and what I haven’t once I get done. It gives me a sense of accomplishment when all too often I don’t feel I’ve done anything.
When I went to September 6th’s reading for the day it was Psalm 106. After a long day, I thought to myself, “This sounds familiar.” Then I got to verse four: Remember me, LORD, when you show favor to your people. Come to me with your salvation…” (CSB version).
Whoa wait a minute. That’s very familiar. God what are you speaking to me?
I read it again. “Remember me, LORD…”
Every week during the school year my children have Bible verses to memorize. Dietrich (1st grade) and Daylan (Preschool) each have their own memory verse for the week. Over the past couple of years I’ve learned to embrace the memorization opportunities for myself and allow the verses speak life into my soul. This week’s memory verse work at home began much the same. We practiced recitation of it until we get it. We sometimes write it down on a white board in the living room as a means of always seeing the verses, too. It does get confusing at times because the kids memorize the other’s verse and forget their own. When we practice in the car we even have the most hideously obnoxious dance when we get the verses and have it down pat.
Daylan’s memory verse this week was “Remember me, O Lord,” Psalm 106:4 ESV. Girlfriend could not get it! She kept saying the weeks’ prior verses. She started saying Dietrich’s for this week, then his for last week. She could not simply remember, “remember.” The irony of this problem (insert eye roll of annoyance here).
After realizing Daylan’s memory verse was inside my reading for the day, I couldn’t help but stop right there and pray for God to utilize the Holy Spirit to speak powerfully to me in the next few moments. It isn’t a coincidence this verse is meant to be read today considering Daylan’s memory verse this week comes from it. She had such a hard time memorizing, too, so it means we recited this verse more times than normal.
Remember me, LORD
Harvey….Irma…Jose…Katia
Remember me, LORD,
while you’re holding the leash of the enemy,
controlling his ability to attack me in specific areas.
Remember me, LORD
In my debilitating nightmares.
Then I got to verse 43 and my body physically responded to the words on the screen:
“He rescued them many times, but they continued to rebel deliberately and were beaten down by their iniquity.”
I fancy myself smart when it comes to words, but sometimes I have to look up a word just to really fully grasp the meaning. The word iniquity means, “immoral or grossly unfair behavior.” Some synonyms of the word iniquity include “wickedness, sinfulness, immorality, impropriety.”
Verse 43 says: “He rescued them many times, but they continued to rebel deliberately and were beaten down by their iniquity.” God rescued the Israelites multiple times but they continued to choose to succumb to their sinful nature and allowed themselves to be beaten down because of their sinfulness and immorality.
Look at the next two verses: “When he heard their cry, he took note of their distress, remembered his covenant with them, and relented according to the abundance of his faithful love.”
God hears. God sees. God remembers. God knows. God does.
Out of love.
As a New Testament believer, this foreshadows God’s rescue of us from the dominion of darkness and pulling us into the light with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He couldn’t help it. Because he loves us so much, he couldn’t sit idle watching us screw ourselves up any longer. He knows we are weak in our flesh. He knows we are unable to be sinless on our own. And he wants us to be with him. His desire for us is enough to go to all extremes to save us from ourselves.
Remember me, O Lord (ESV), is what he did. He remembered me (you) and sent me (you) the salvation that comes with faith in Jesus Christ. He’s given us the resource to “give thanks to his holy name and rejoice in his praise” (Psalm 106:47 CSB).
God sees me. He knows me. He knows the real me. He knows and sees my choices. He knows I don’t have a strong spiritual muscle, yet, God still chooses to love me. Will I choose to love him back? Will the choices I make show my love for him? Will my reactions, even to the annoyances, be a profession of my love for Jesus? Are my instincts a reflection of God in me? The way I choose to love others, does it reflect Jesus?
He does remember me. Will I remember him?
How will I respond?
I’d encourage you to read the whole chapter of Psalm 106 so you get the full picture.
