Monday, September 11, 2017

We Remember


"More than two hundred times in Scripture, God calls his people to "remember." In English usage, remember means "to mentally recall" or "to cognitively bring to mind." The Hebrew word zakar means more than recollection. It refers to mental activity that leads to a response; it is to recall and to act." Ray Vander Laan, Israel's Mission, p. 46

"As the hardest, most intense season of suffering becomes ever so slightly further and further from the present day, our lives slowly shift one degree at a time back toward self-sustainment and away from complete and utter dependence upon Jesus.......we remember because we need to remember." Julie Manning, My Heart, pp.156-157

The images are still burned in our minds. We know when it happened, where we were, what we were doing, who we were with. We know how we felt and we know why we were scared. We know the numbers we desperately dialed and the horror of watching it unfold before our very eyes. 

There are some things we desperately want to forget but those are the exact same things we must strive to remember. We can not allow time, distance, and separation to diminish our desperate need for a Savior because the world we live in is fallen. And the sad reality that it takes times of tragedy, intense fear, and the unknown to draw us closer to His arms is not met with anything other than a loving embrace that helps us to remember we are never alone, forsaken, or forgotten.

As we remember what happened 16 years ago today, let's also remember the desperation we felt to have Jesus as close as he could possibly be. And instead of waking up tomorrow forgetting, let's remember our desperation for his love and presence to be with us from this day forward.




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