PROVOKING THE LORD’S REMEMBRANCE AT ELEVENTH HOUR
Gen 8:1-12 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 pluck 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.
When Bible uses this kind of language, it is called anthropopathism, anthropopathy
The attribution of human emotions to a god or ascribing human emotions to deity or God
Words like love, remember, patience, anger, repent, etc.
In the text we read, Noah and the survivors of the flood were on the ship. They were the only survivors; every other living creature perished in the flood. I pray for you in the time of destruction may God single you out for protection and favour in Jesus’s name.
The rain had subsided, but they were still in the boat. There was no way to come out but the Bible says that and God remembered Noah. Did God forget him before now? God did not forget Noah, but all the Bible is saying is that it was time for God to do something about Noah and all the people that were in the ark.
I believe once again that this season is your time in Jesus’s name. God is about doing something concerning you. Because God remembered Noah, God began to work out how Noah would come out of the ark. I believe God is working out many things on your behalf. It will manifest in Jesus’ name.
What did God do to prove that He had remembered Noah?
And God remembered Noah.” He is said to remember him when he takes any step to deliver him from the water. The several steps to this end are enumerated.
And God made a wind to pass over the earth] Such a wind as produced a strong and sudden evaporation
He stopped the windows of heaven, and the fountains of the deep.
He caused the waters to return from off the earth continually
Even though it took 150 days before the water eventually abated, it dried up. It was a work of time, a hundred and fifty days, before they were considerably abated.
Gen 8:15-18 KJV 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. 17 Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth. 18 And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him:
Noah came out of that confinement. The Lord that remembers Noah has remembered someone today and you are coming out from every evil confinement in Jesus’ name.
There are many that will argue that God must have forgotten them. If not, why are things like this? Why is God blessing that brother or sister and He is not blessing me?
Zion was like that too
Isa 49:14 KJV But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.
GOD HAS MADE A PROMISE NOT TO FORGET US
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.
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.
HOW TO PROVOKE GOD’S REMEMBRANCE?
1. Remind God of His promises to you as contained in the word
Isa 43:26 KJV Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.
Jacob
So, Jacob did at Mahanaim and Peniel (Gen 32:9; Gen 32:12.
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.
He reminded God what God said unto him when Esau his brother was coming to meet him with 400 men.
Gen 32:6 KJV And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.
This is what God told him:
Gen 31:13 KJV I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.
not that God ever forgets any of his promises, but he may sometimes seem to do so; wherefore he would have his people put him in mind of them
Moses
When the children of Israel made a golden calf, God was angry with them. He changed ownership of them
Exo 32:7 KJV And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:
He told Moses, to allow Him to destroy them and start afresh with him
Exo 32:10 KJV Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.
If i were Moses that time, i will tell God, go ahead Sir but this is what Moses said
Exo 32:13-14 KJV 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever. 14 And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.
Imagine, God changed His mind because Mos3s called Him to remember. Remember what?
Gen 12:7 KJV And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.”
Gen 13:15 KJV For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
Our strongest plea is to remind God of His own promises.
Nehemiah
When he got bad news about what happened to Jerusalem. He made a prayer.
Neh 1:8-9 KJV 8 Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: 9 But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.
What is it that God promised that Nehemiah was talking about?
Deu 30:2-3 KJV 2 And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; 3 That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.
Though in an enemy’s country, and far from the ordinances of God, Nehemiah did not forget the law: he read his Bible well and quoted correctly.
He prayed for four months, and God granted him favour in the sight of the king.
In the New Testament
Paul when he was in peril on the sea.
Act 27:21-25 KJV 21 But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. 22 And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship. 23 For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, 24 Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. 25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.
What do you think Paul was doing that night that made an angel appear and spoke to him?
God hath given thee all of them that sail with thee. This seems to show that he had been engaged not only in prayer, but in intercessory prayer
While the crew were toiling at the pumps, Paul was wrestling in prayer, not for himself only and the cause in which he was going a prisoner to Rome
He was possibly reminding the Lord of His promises. This was what the Lord Jesus told him.
Act 23:11 KJV And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.
This was before they embarked on the journey. It was when Paul was arrested. The Lord had spoken to him that he would testify in Rome. Now on their way, they were about perishing. Paul reminded the Lord. God sent his angel to assure him. He must reach Rome.
The angel reiterated what Jesus had said.
God hath given thee all of them that sail with thee.] Two hundred and seventy-six souls saved for the sake of one man!
This is the pattern in the word to provoke His remembrance
Isa 62:6-7 KJV 6 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, 7 And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
The Hebrew word for ” make mention” is zâkar
Phonetic: zaw-kar’
It means: to remember, recall, call to mind, to remember, recall, to be brought to remembrance, be remembered, be thought of, be brought to mind,, to cause to remember, remind, to cause to be remembered, keep in remembrance, to mention, to record, to make a memorial, make remembrance
God gives his prophets and praying people leave to be his remembrancer, Isa 62:6-7. Ye that are the Lord’s remembrancer, keep not silent, and give him no rest till he establishes, and till he makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth. make…: or are the LORD’s remembrancer
This Nehemiah doth here most vigorously and sped accordingly; let us do likewise. Cast the labouring Church into God’s everlasting arms, and remind him of his promises, burden him with them, as that martyr said; put them into suit, they are nigh the Lord Day and night, 1Ki 8:59. Say, remember thy word unto thy servant, whereupon thou hast caused me to trust, Psa 119:49. And in the want of other rhetoric urge this, with repetition, Lord, thou hast promised, thou hast promised, &c. He loves to be urged with his word, to be used upon his bond,
What are we going to do?
Speak the word back to Him.
Isa 55:10-11 KJV 10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
The reason is this:
God is a Father. God delights to hear our voices as a Father especially when we are in distress. Mt 6:9
We have a promise
Heb 4:16 KJV Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
For well-timed help,” “for help in the nick of time,” before too late.
for seasonable help or help in good time; before it is too late; while there is still time to seek God’s rest. Others, however, explain, when it is needed
To help in time of need. For a seasonable support; that is, support when necessary, and as necessary, and in due proportion to the necessity.
The word is properly rendered assistance, help, or support; but it is an assistance in consequence of the earnest cry of the person in distress,
The word signifies to run at the cry. So, even at the throne of grace, or great propitiatory, no help can be expected where there is no cry, and where there is no cry there is no felt necessity; for he that feels he is perishing will cry aloud for help, and to such a cry the compassionate High Priest will run; and the time of need is the time in which God will show mercy; nor will he ever delay it when it is necessary.
We are not to cry to-day to be helped to-morrow, or at some indefinite time, or at the hour of death. We are to call for mercy and grace when we need them; and we are to expect to receive them when we call. This is a part of our liberty or boldness; we come up to the throne, and we call aloud for mercy, and God hears and dispenses the blessing we need.
Case study
Mar 6:46-50 KJV 46 And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray. 47 And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. 48 And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night, he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. 49 But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit and cried out: 50 For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.”
3. Act your faith. Put the word to work.
Jas 2:20 KJV But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
Jas 2:18 KJV Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew my faith by my works.
What happens when you are remembered?
God delivers you as He delivers Noah from water, Lot from Sodom, Paul from perishing. He will deliver us from delay, barrier, and demonic attachment.
Song
Remember me remember me, remember me oh Lord by your power by your mercy, remember me oh Lord
Prayers:
Psa 106:4 KJV Remember me, O LORD, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people: O visit me with thy salvation;
Psa 119:49 KJV ZAIN. Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope.
- I decree by prophecy this is my season of remembrance, i shall be remembered by men and women
- I decree that whatever is making men to forget me be removed totally from my life in Jesus’s name.
- Let the Lord put it into their heart 2Co 8:16 KJV But thanks be to God, which put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you.