Jesus knows us, remembers us, will not forget us
By Elizabeth Prata
Many times in the Bible, there are appeals for the Lord to remember a person. ‘O Lord, remember me’ is a common entreaty. Here are just a couple of examples from the New Testament and the Old Testament.
“Remember me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people“. (Nehemiah 5:19)
“O LORD, You know; Remember me and visit me, And take vengeance for me on my persecutors.” (Jeremiah 15:15a)
“Remember me, O LORD, in Your favor toward Your people; Visit me with Your salvation,” (Psalm 106:4)
“Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” (Thief on the cross Luke 23:42)
The entreaty speaks to a private concern. Even though we know that God’s ways are not our ways and that His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8), we still worry that He won’t remember us. I don’t know about you, but I can’t remember what I had for breakfast yesterday. I can’t remember the title of the last book I read. Because we are human and we filter all our experiences and thoughts based from the last experiences and thoughts we’ve had (connecting the new to the known), we project understanding out from ourselves. It’s a habit.
So we can’t conceive of how the Lord will remember each and every person who ever lived…deep down. We have a little niggling worry. From early rock art painting hand stamps to Kilroy Was Here, we all do things to imprint our impression upon the world so that the world will remember that we were here. Can God really remember each and every person? Hard to conceptualize. Easier to sink back into fleshly bewilderment that there just may be one tiny crack that I slip though, forgotten.
NOT SO! Do not worry. In many scriptures, the Lord says He will remember us. He knows us! He knows us each by name. He knows us inside and out. He knows the hairs on our head. He cares for us, shelters us, and will not forget when we are called to go. He will greet us by name.
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me” (John 10:14)
“To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” (John 10:3)
“The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,” (Nahum 1:7)
“Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” (2 Timothy 2:19a)
“But the man who loves God is known by God“. (1 Corinthians 8:3)
He not only knows your name, but He has prepared a place for you and will give you a new name when He greets you!
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” (Revelation 2:17)
It is a beautiful miracle that the God of the universe, Creator since always, Savior of all humanity, knows us. Take comfort. He will not forget you. But here is the question of the day: do you know HIM?
