“He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful.” Psalm 111:4 ESV
A few months ago I accepted an offer of someone wanting to buy my condo. And it was quite an offer. I was excited and extremely thankful (but perhaps less for myself and more for the buyer who got to live in my well-cared-for home).
But those feelings were gone the next morning. The new day dawned, and my happiness returned to its normal level of “eh”.
Don’t get me wrong – I don’t believe I need to be happy all the time. But I want to be happy and content in the purpose and the life God’s given me.
How do we keep these feelings of happiness and contentment?
First, let’s acknowledge that these feelings won’t last all day, every day. That’s not how life works.
Second, let’s remember. . . and be thankful.
Some people don’t acknowledge the past. Some spend too much time dwelling there. But a study on happiness found increased positive emotions among participants 4 weeks after thinking about happy memories 3 times a week for 8 minutes at a time (Lyubomirsky et al., 2006).
Remember
The Bible repeatedly tells us to remember.
- We are to remember God’s covenant with His creation: “When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” Genesis 9:16 ESV
- We are to remember that God saves His people: “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.” Deuteronomy 5:15 ESV
And we are to remember regularly: “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered, O offspring of Abraham, his servant, children of Jacob, his chosen ones!” Psalm 105:4-6 ESV
Which means I need to start each day by remembering God’s goodness.
Even when I don’t feel like it.
And as you remember the gifts of God in your life, don’t dwell on past mistakes, because God doesn’t (Psalm 103:8-13).
How will you make remembering part of your worship this week?
“He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful.” Psalm 111:4 ESV
