YOU ARE REMEMBERED
YOU ARE REMEMBERED
Gen 8:1-16 KJV 1 And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged; 2 The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; 3 And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. 4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen. 6 And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: 7 And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. 8 Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; 9 But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark. 10 And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; 11 And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. 12 And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more. 13 And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry. 14 And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried. 15 And God spake unto Noah, saying, 16 Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with thee.
The first time they mentioned it was in the Bible. The law of first mention is applicable that whatever meaning given is retained all through. Paraphrase
The word remember means to recall from one’s memory;
To not forget (to do something required).E.G:Remember to lock the door when you go out.
The Bible says that God is not forgetful. As a matter of fact with Him, it is an unrighteous thing for Him to forget.
Heb 6:10 KJV For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
The only thing that God does not remember in the New Testament is our sins and iniquities. It is a tenet of the New Covenant. It is the greatest principle.
Jer 31:34 KJV And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Isa 43:25 KJV I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
Psa 103:12 KJV As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
Heb 8:12 KJV For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
Others may remember the wrong done but as far as God is concerned
It is not because He is not aware but because Jesus has borne our sin and even became sin for us and borne our judgment, punishment and penalty and guilt of sin, God’s wrath over our sin is finished. God is not condemning us. Your conscience, people, society may do so but Rom 8: 1 says there is now no more condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.
So what does the Bible say when the passage says God remembered Noah when he says He doesn’t forget.?
The word “remembered” is a figure of speech Anthropopatheia
Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristics and behavior to something not human.
The attribution of human characteristics to divine beings.
Anthropopathy (plural anthropopathism): The attribution of human emotions to a god.
When the writer of the Bibles uses this kind of expression, it is called anthropomorphism.
The daring anthropopathic imagery by which the prophets often represent God as chiding, upbraiding, threatening, angry, repentant.
There is no human language that can really express what they want to convey so they use human language to describe God.
We don’t have the divine terms to describe God’s divine character. Thus, we must define or describe God’s actions and God’s character in all that we have human language, but there’s no way that human language can really portray the truth of God. And so we just have to do the best we can using terms that are familiar to us to describe the activities or the actions of God because we really don’t have any other terms.
So many people have taken this to an extreme to think that God is like human because the BIble uses those terms.
So when they say God remembered Noah, this is said after the manner of men, and as it might have seemed to Noah, who having heard nothing of him for five months, and having been perhaps longer in the ark than he expected, might begin to think that he was forgotten of God;
The ark was an ark of salvation but now it was turning into an ark of confinement. Imagine being in one place day in and day out. It is called stagnation, hindrance, barrier. Those yokes are broken in Jesus’ name. Whatever is confining you will let you go in Jesus name. It will let your business go, it will let your finance go in Jesus name.
So what does God remember?
1. God remembered his covenant with him, and the promise that he had made to him, that he and his family, and all the living creatures in the ark, should be preserved alive during the flood, Ge 6:17
Gen 6:18 KJV But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.
He is a covenant keeping God. We have a covenant not directly with God but we are beneficiaries of the covenant between God and the Lord Jesus.
2. God not only remembered Noah and his family, who are included in him, but every living creature also, which is expressed; for as the creatures suffered in the flood for the sins of men, so those in the ark were remembered and preserved for the sake of Noah and his family, and the world of men that should spring from them: The same way God remembered Abraham and rescued Lot. Lot was rescued for Abraham’s sake.Gen 19:29
And if God will remember the animals, how much more men made in His image and likeness. I am remembered.
HOW DO WE KNOW GOD IS REMEMBERING SOMETHING OR PEOPLE USING NOAH AS CASE STUDY?
1. He is said to remember when he takes any step to deliver people like Noah, God is said to remember him when He takes steps to deliver him from the waters.
2. God remembered Noah, when He began His activity with Noah once more. The last time God spoke was when he was to enter into the Ark and for about 5 months nothing was heard or communicated but now attention is turned one more time to the ark. Activity has begun again.
3. God is said to remember when God begins to help his people when in difficulties and in distress, and delivering out of them, is called his remembrance of them;
God may be said particularly to remember him, and them, when he began to take measures for removing the waters from the
The several steps to this end are enumerated.
We also have evidence of his remembrance. He stayed the waters from flowing.
(1.) He sent a wind to dry up the floods. He hath winds in his treasures, as well as waters, to dry up, as well as to deluge. All things serve him.
(2.) He stopped the windows of heaven, and the fountains of the deep.
(3.) He caused the waters to return from off the earth continually; part shut up within its bowels, in the vast abyss, part exhaled by sun and wind, and re-ascending into the clouds.
Lessons:
1. Before you can ever talk about remembrance, there has been a relationship. This relationship was established on grace. base your relationship on what Jesus has done and not on your performance like Nehemiah and Hezekiah. it was okay for them to pray the way they did but we have a better covenant.
- Gen 6:8 KJV But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
It wasn’t that Noah was 100% perfect but he found grace. May you find grace this week in Jesus name. He was singled out with favour among the multitude. May such grace locates you in Jesus name.
2. God has not forgotten us even though we might have been in the same ark for a long time. God is mindful of us.
Psa 8:4 KJV What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Psa 144:3 KJV LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him!
3. God has not forsaken or abandoned us or neglected us.
Heb 13:5 KJV Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee
It is double negative in Greek, it means he will never never forsake us no matter what.
Isa 49:15 KJV Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
Mat 28:20 KJV Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
4. God is working behind the scene though they were in the ark; water was gradually abating.
UNDER THE NEW COVENANT
We are remembered already. This is the good news.
God remembered us when He sent Jesus to be the propitiation for our sins 1 Jn 2: 2, to deliver us from this evil present world. When He gave us the Holy Spirit, His word, His anointing and ability. He has equipped and empowered us already.
Luk 1:70-75 KJV 70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: 71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; 72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; 73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, 74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, 75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
So when we say God remember me,
1. we are only placing a demand on what is provided. We are not praying like people of old covenant but we are praying with the mind set that it is already done.
2. We are reminding Him of His oaths, promises and covenant benefits because He said we should do so.
Isa 43:26 KJV Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.
Remind me of my promises; plead them before me; declare them, that by my free grace I may justify thee.”
Our strongest plea is to remind God of His own promises.
Case study
So Jacob did at Mahanaim and Peniel (Gen 32:9; Gen 32:12). This is when they told Jacob that Esau was coming with 400 men.
Gen 32:9-12 KJV 9 And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee: 10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands. 11 Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children. 12 And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.
God had told Jacob to go back to his father’s house
Gen 31:3 KJV And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.
And now on the way, Esau was coming with 400 men to avenge an offense of 20 years. Jacob began to remind God of His promises. Jacob reminded or put God in remembrance of what He had said.
He prayed until he had a breakthrough.
Gen 32:24 KJV And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
Gen 32:28 KJV And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
The following day when Esau showed up, he could not perform his mission; rather he ran towards him and embraced him and both wept for joy.
Gen 33:4 KJV And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.
I am very sure that the 400 men will be thinking what is happening? Is our oga going nuts? I thought we had come to destroy these people.
That enemy shall surrender, they shall bow before you.
When I came to Warri after POP. I was posted to a rural place to teach. I started praying again because a few months at the sports center in OAU before leaving school I had settled where I wanted to serve, what kind of work I wanted to do and where to start my career. I said Lord this is not what was agreed. I equally reminded God of the prophecies that were spoken over me even before I gained admission to school. That very week I got supernatural help.
Today, we have the Bible which is the physical expression of the word of God. It contains His promises. Stand on it like our songs, not only standing but confessing it, declaring it, praying it, speaking it, prophesying it strongly. Put your finger on it. Jesus said to the devil, it is written and it is said.
Here is what the bible says: we must become “the Lord’s remembrancers” (Isa 62:6, Margin). “Declare God’s righteousness”
Isa 62:6 KJV I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence,
The Hebrew word for “make mention” is “zakar” and it means to remember, recall to mind. It also means to be the Lord’s remembrancers.
Somebody says but I have been doing that for a long time.
Isa 62:7 KJV And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
Keep reminding Him of His promises and covenants. There is a promise in the word that covers every need of man. Keep saying it as Isaiah said until He establishes your Jerusalem a praise on the earth.
What to do?
When business is not working, find out what the word says about business and prosperity and put Him in remembrance 2Cor 8:9
When children are misbehaving, find out what the word says that our children shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be their peace and composure.
When you are down with one ailment or the other, find out what the word says concerning health 1 Pet 2: 24 by His stripes we are healed.
Testimony
A man whose wife was having difficulty in giving birth at the hospital rushed to the church with his tithe card, he spread it and opened his Bible to Mal 3: 10. You said you will rebuke the devourer for my sake. Before he got up the wife delivered in the hospital.
What he was doing was putting God in remembrance.
Conclusion
When God remembers or when we put Him in remembrance
- He brings you into focus, beams His attention on you, begins His activities with you and takes measures to bring relief from distress.
- He rescues your loved ones like He rescued Lot
- The enemy bows unto you rather than harming you.
- People will start to remember you too like the chief butler and Joseph. This week they will send for you.
Lastly, it was a work of time, a hundred and fifty days, before they were considerably abated. Note; When our trials are long, and our deliverance slow, we need to pray: hold out, faith and patience.
Prayer
Every confinement of the devil be broken over my life and destiny in Jesus name
I refused to be contained, I refused to be confined in Jesus name, I am coming out from every confinement of the devil, I am coming out from every common prison
I decree and declare that this week I am remembered for good, lifting, acceptance, change and turn around