Always Remember
Last night my husband and I came home after celebrating a joyous birthday party and preschool graduation for our grandson. Turning five is a big milestone and our day was full-to-the-brim of hugs, smiles, and laughter.
Then the news at the end of the day hit us. Another mass shooting. Another killing of innocent people, this time, mostly children. Collective grief rises and howls deeply in the pain of such unthinkable loss.
This morning I turned to my morning scripture reading, and I sighed. I needed something full of joy and hope and I’ve read these verses so many times. Could I find what I was looking for here?
Then Jesus came to them and said,
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
And remember, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20 NIV
In the past, I have always focused on the “go” part of this verse and what we should do when we “go.” Go make disciples. Go baptize them. Go teach them to obey Jesus. It seems to be the focus of many mission conferences and sermons. But this time my eyes settled in a different place - on the word remember. Jesus wanted his disciples to remember that he was going with them! He wasn’t just sending them out alone. The gentle reminder is such a sweet last word. Go, but remember, I will always be with you. Don’t forget.
As I grieve the many losses of the past couple of weeks all around the globe, I hang on to this part: Remember, I am with you all the way to the end. And I realize that this is why Jesus showed his disciples how to pray. He knew what terrible events awaited him but he always remembered. He never forgot that His Father was with him.
I recently finished reading Shauna Niequist’s new book, I Guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet where she offers her readers a unique way to pray. She has picked four words: support, blessing, delight, and Christlikeness, to pray daily for her family. She envisions each person receiving those gifts and experiencing God in gentle ways. She writes, “Praying for the people I love was helping me love them in deeper ways - it was cyclical in a way. More prayer yielded more attentiveness to their lives, which inspired me toward more prayer, and so on.”
I have begun to pray in a similar way. In my morning scripture reading, I look for a word or phrase to focus my prayers for that day. After reading the Matthew 28 verses, I chose the word, remember.
Picking through my little letter cubes, I found what I needed and placed them on the windowsill in front of me so I could see that word throughout my day.
God, please remember to show yourself in a clear and unique way to Joel and Rachel today so they know you are near.
God, please put joy in Hannah’s heart so she remembers how much you love her.
God, please let one of Jonathan’s co-workers remember to encourage him for his good work today.
When my friend, Diane, gets lonely today, remember her and help her to remember that you and many people love her dearly.
When our grandson, Oliver, is afraid of the dark, please help him remember that you are real and that you never leave him alone.
When our granddaughter, Lucy, feels another headache, please help her remember that you are a great healer and that you delight in the beautiful person she is.
In the middle of the unthinkable horrors happening in Ukraine, I beg you to make it solid in the Ukrainian’s minds to remember that you have not forgotten them in the midst of this terrible war. You are with them and always have been, even when it feels differently.
The devastated moms and dads in Uvalde, TX, will need help remembering that you were with their children. Send people to sit and grieve with them, so they will see that you are with them too.
In each case, I envisioned that person receiving what I asked God to do: the look on their face, the satisfaction, the surprise, the joy. Throughout the day, when a person comes to mind, I will talk to God about them using the word, remember.
This is really just an entry word, you know. Other needs come up when I start with the one word. But it is a way to pray all day long. Whenever someone comes to mind, or a news report announces another horrible thing, the word is there, ready to connect me to God. I Thessalonians 5:17 says, Pray continually. I’ve never quite understood how to actually do that. But this one-word prayer idea answers that for me. Offering one-word prayers all day whenever someone comes to mind, feels pretty continual to me.
I have prayed using other words these past weeks: joy, draw near, fill, strengthen, restore…usually I use a word from scripture, and sometimes I use somebody’s word of the year.
As I envision the terrible sufferings around the world - Ukraine, Afghanistan, Uvalde, Texas, Buffalo, New York, and many other places, I include them. Remember them, God. Do not forsake them. Stay close. By your Spirit, enable them to remember that you are with them. You will always be with them. Wickedness is not your fault.
Having written this piece several days ago, today I’m praying for comfort.
O God, please comfort all who grieve.
Hide them under the shelter of your wing, up close and tight against your heart.
Help them hold on to you when everything seems to be falling apart.
What might you be praying for today? Is there a specific word or phrase that comes to mind? Try praying it throughout the day as people come to mind. It is good to pray and this is a way to keep your brain focused and expectant, watching for God’s movement.
There are no simple or easy answers to all the troubles in the world. None of it makes sense, except, that God is with us, and one day he will make everything right. I’m banking my life on it.
You and I can always remember that God is near. We can talk to him even if it is only one word at a time, even when heartbreak abounds.
(Thanks to Susan Watters Photography for her lovely notecards providing the backdrop in today’s photos.)