A few times in scripture, it's been said that "God remembered." When the Israelites were in Egyptian bondage, they cried out for deliverance. Though they may have felt as if God had forgotten about them, Exodus 2:24-25 states, "So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them."
When Hannah was desperate for a child, when year after year passed with no indication that she would ever conceive, she also cried out to the Lord. And when she did, it is written that the Lord remembered her. " ...And Elkanah had relations with Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her." (1 Samuel 1:19).
And although scripture does not indicate what Cornelius's petitions were about, it is written that he was a devout man who prayed to God continuously. So, an angel of God appeared before him in a vision to inform him that God had remembered him. "... And he said to him, "Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God." (Acts 10:4)
God not only remembered the Israelites, Hannah, and Cornelius, but he also delivered them. Yet, the thought of God remembering anything somewhat tickled my brain. I suppose I considered, if God remembers, can he also forget?
Of course, as quickly as this thought entered my mind, it also quickly left. I know God cannot forget anything. Isaiah 40:26 tells us that God calls the stars by their names and that not one of them is missing. God knows the number of hairs we have on our heads (Luke 12:7) and he knows our hearts (Luke 16:25). If God knows all these things, how can he forget anything?
The only thing God forgets is our sins when we repent of them. God confessed, “For I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more,” (Hebrews 8:12). So, I simply want to say to you today that when the Bible tells us that God remembered the Israelites, Hannah, and Cornelius, it doesn't mean that he previously forgot them. When God remembered them, it meant that he was finally ready to move on their behalf.
God is not deaf, nor does he suffer from amnesia. He hears every prayer that we place before him. He’s incapable of forgetting us or our petitions. We are engraved on his hands, and he remembers all our prayers very well.
God heard the Israelites cry to him, years before he delivered them. It just wasn’t time for him to move. God saw Hannah’s heartbreak year after year from being barren, but it just wasn’t time for her to conceive. The Lord always heard Cornelius’s prayers, but it wasn't time for him to act. It was only when God observed that his prayers appeared as a memorial of petitions before his throne, that he was moved to move for Cornelius.
Reader, be encouraged today. Thank the Lord that the only thing he will forget concerning you is your sins. Know that he hears your petitions, and he sees your tears. Just keep praying. Let your prayers appear before the throne of God as a memorial that moves him to act on your behalf. May God remember you, and may God remember me.
May he remember us not only on this side, but when we are finally laid to rest and our work on this earth is completed, may God remember us in the resurrection. May God raise us up as he promised and welcome us into paradise with him and his Son, Jesus. May we enter eternal rest and love and live in our mansions that the Lord established for us after God raised him from death. May God resurrect us just as he did Jesus. May it be beautiful, and may it be grand.
May God remember you and may God remember me.
Be blessed, and if it is the Lord’s will, I’ll see you next week. Until then, take care.
Quin Arrington is a Christian wife, mother, and author with books available for purchase at www.amazon.com/author/quinarrington
Thank you for your time. God Bless!