WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
OCTOBER 19, 2023
TOPIC: REMEMBER AND MEDITATE ON WHAT GOD HAS DONE
BY T. O. BANSO
“I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds” (Psalm 77:11-12 New King James Version).
Everybody remembers something from time to time but not everything we remember is helpful. Some people remember nearly everything except the most important thing. Some people remember insults, offences, and the wrong things people did to them. Others remember their problems, things they prayed for but didn’t get the expected answers, and requests they made to God, and they are yet to get answers.
While as human beings we may not be able to completely forget all I have mentioned, we must be careful not to meditate on them. This is because whatever we meditate upon will become magnified, whether they’re negative or positive, good or bad. Remembering and meditating on negative thoughts or things you remember is not helpful. When a negative thought comes up, don’t meditate on it. Rather break the thought by speaking out, and replace it with a positive thought.
Instead of remembering and meditating on your problems, insults, offences, failures, and prayers yet to be answered, remember and meditate on what God has done. What God did in the Bible – the works of creation and all the miracles He did that are recorded in the Bible. Also, remember all the miracles He has done in your life and in the lives of people you know. This is helpful. It will boost your faith and create positive energy and emotions.
Asaph, the writer of Psalm 77, says, “I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds” (verses 11-12 New King James Version). The “works of the Lord” refers to what He has done. To meditate on His work refers to thinking constantly about it. This scripture also mentions talking about the deeds of God. This is not what some people do. They engage in negative remembering, thinking, talking, and believing. This affects their lives negatively because thoughts and words are very powerful. They influence what happens in our lives and around us.
The New Living Translation renders Psalm 77:11-12 thus, “But then I recall all you have done, O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago. They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works.” Recall or remember what God did in the Bible – His wonderful works. Also, intentionally recall and remember what He did in your life in the past. This will help your faith to face the present challenges and believe God to do what He did in the past. The Contemporary English Version puts Psalm 77:11-12 this way: “Our Lord, I will remember the things you have done, your miracles of long ago. I will think about each one of your mighty deeds.” Â
Remember and meditate on what God has done. He is God and does not change (Malachi 3:6). Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Jesus and His Father, God, are one (John 10:30). God’s power does not change. He is not less powerful or more powerful yesterday than He is today and will be in the future. What He did yesterday, He can do today and tomorrow. His power is forever. Remember and meditate on what God has done. Talk about it and believe God to do more for you. Avoid negative remembrance, meditation, talk, and belief.
David says, “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I muse on the work of Your hands. I spread out my hands to You; My soul longs for You like a thirsty land” (Psalm 143:5-6 New King James Version). When you remember in your prayer what God did in the past, it helps you to have a positive expectation about your current requests. The New Century Version puts that scripture this way: “I remember what happened long ago; I consider everything you have done. I think about all you have made. I lift my hands to you in prayer. As a dry land needs rain, I thirst for you.”
Remember and meditate on what God has done. Talk about it and believe God to do what you have asked Him to do. David says in 1 Chronicles 16:12-13, “Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced, O descendants of Israel his servant, O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones” (New International Version). Psalm 105:5-6 says a similar thing. Remember the miracles of God. “His miracles are unforgettable. The Lord is kind and merciful” (Psalm 111:4 New Century Version). Why should anyone forget them?
Remember the miracles of God. Don’t be like the children of Israel who forgot His miracles He did for them. “They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them. He did miracles in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan. He divided the sea and led them through; he made the water stand firm like a wall. He guided them with the cloud by day and with light from the fire all night.  He split the rocks in the desert and gave them water as abundant as the seas; he brought streams out of a rocky crag and made water flow down like rivers” (Psalm 78:11-16 New International Version). Despite these miracles, the Israelites sinned against God, rebelling against Him in the wilderness. They didn’t believe in Him to meet their needs despite the past miracles.
Don’t forget what God has done for you. Remember His miracles. Remember what God has done, meditate on it, talk about it, and have faith in Him. David did this when he was to fight Goliath. He told King Saul: “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God” (1 Samuel 17:34-36 New King James Version).
Did you see how David recalled God’s miracles in His life in the past, and how He had faith in God to do what He did in the past? David declared further, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:37a New King James Version).
God did what David said. Goliath was no match for him. But not only did God deliver him from Goliath’s hand, He delivered Goliath into his hand as he said in verse 46. He said in verses 45-47, “Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands” (New King James Version).
David remembered the past miracles of God, meditated on them, talked about them, and believed in God to give him victory again, and He killed Goliath! Do the same as you face the challenges of life. Avoid negative and unhelpful remembrance, meditation, talk, and belief.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: I repent of negative and unhelpful remembrance, meditation, talk, and belief. Holy Spirit, help me to remember and meditate on what God did in the Bible and has done in my life. Help me to talk about the miracles of God and believe God for miracles as I face the challenges of life.
(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
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