by Shannon Steuerwald

In 1908 Frank Charles Thompson listed Bible passages where we Christians are commanded to remember. As I studied these, I found that each passage included a benefit to our remembering, which motivated me even more to work hard at remembering God.

We are to remember God and His character during the battles in life.

Nehemiah 4:14—And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.

Benefit to remembering = courage to fight

We are to remember God during the night seasons in our life.

Psalm 63:5-6 —My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.

Benefit to remembering = satisfaction and joy

We are to remember our Creator while we are young.

Ecclesiastes 12:1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.

Benefit to remembering = zero appetite for the things of the world

We are to remember God when we are weary and discouraged.

Jonah 2:7 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.

Benefit to remembering = a heart of prayer

Since remembering is clearly a duty of every Christian, we need to take heed to remember and to set up memorials where we tend to forget those truths that are most needful for us to remember and rehearse. Not only is remembering a command from God but also remembering delivers rewards from God: courage, joy, satisfaction, and a prayerful heart.

Being a Remembrancer

Not only should I remember key truths about God and His Word, but also I need to help others remember key truths about God and His Word. Theologian Albert Barnes calls these people remembrancers. We see this important role exemplified in several passages of Scripture.

God sent watchmen to His children to make mention of Him throughout the city walls and to remind God Himself of the very promises He made to His children. Isaiah 62:6-7

Paul sent Timothy to the Corinthian church for the specific purpose of helping them remember how they should walk in the way of Christ as other heroes of faith have followed. 1 Corinthians 4:15-17

Paul exhorted Timothy as a new pastor to remind his church members of the doctrines of Scripture and the dangers of false doctrine in the latter days. 1 Timothy 4:1-6

Peter did not want to be negligent in reminding mature Christians of what they already knew. Specifically, in this passage, he was referring to how a Christian grows. 2 Peter 1:12

Peter wrote a letter to the church for the purpose of stirring up memories of former commands and warnings of prophets and apostles because the people were beginning to wonder if the promises of God’s coming were true. 2 Peter 3:1-4a

We need to have a Timothy, a Paul, or a Peter in our lives; furthermore, we need to be a Timothy, a Paul, or a Peter in the lives of other Christians. Are we helping others to remember God’s truths? Are we being good ministers of Jesus Christ because we are nourishing others with “words of faith and of good doctrine”? What this means for every Sunday school teacher, pastor, evangelist, teacher, children’s church leader, parent, and youth leader is that we should not feel that we have to approach every teaching, speaking, or preaching event with a fresh idea or original avenue to a verse or passage. What these verses teach us is that we need to fulfill our duty and be remembrancers of the truths of God. Teach the gospel, and then teach it again. Teach David and Goliath, and then teach it again. Warn of coming dangers and false doctrines, and then warn again.