About a month ago, I went on a short solo prayer retreat. It wasn’t anything crazy, just a little overnight stay in a tiny cabin to intentionally turn my heart and mind towards the Lord and to process through all that He has been doing in my life, and to ask Him what He desires to do next. During that time, I felt led to read through my prayer journal. I am a prolific journaler, and I tend to journal many of my prayers, so I had about 6 months worth of prayers to sit and read through. As I backtracked through the last 6 months of my life, I became very aware of the way that the Lord had so intentionally and specifically answered so many prayers. There were things I had forgotten I was praying about because the Lord answered them to the T! There were things that I was still praying about, but that I could already see the Lord’s hand at work in, and there were things that I hadn’t yet seen answered but that I knew the Lord was hearing. This time of reflection on my history with the Lord ended up being my biggest takeaway from that time of solitude with Him. It built up my faith in a way that it never had been before. I have walked into multiple situations where I’ve been able to release it to the Lord with faith because I have so much confidence in the fact that He has answered my prayers, so I can more easily trust that He will answer them again.
As I was praying through what to write for this email, the Lord brought this specific moment to my mind, and reminded me of the value of remembering our personal history with Him. We are so quick to forget the way that the Lord has moved in our day to day, it is so much easier to remember the big, miraculous things He does! Of course, we should praise God and pour out hearts of gratitude when He has done great things, but in my life, my faith has been the most built up when I remember the little things the Lord does for me every single day, and when I go back and meditate on the story that the Lord is weaving in my life through answered prayers. It reminds me that not only do I have a God who can do great and mighty things, but I have a God who cares about the little details, dreams, desires, aches and longings of my heart.
The Psalms are full of moments of reflection back on what the Lord has done, and I think there’s a lot we can take away from the rhythm of reflection we find there.
Psalm 116:1-2
“I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy,
because He inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call on Him as long as I live.”
Psalm 116:6-7
“The Lord preserves the simple, when I was brought low, He saved me.
Return, O my soul, to your rest, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.”
Psalm 63:5-8
“My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise You with joyful lips, when I remember You upon my bed, and meditate on You in the watches of the night, for You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to You, Your right hand upholds me.”
I particularly love this verse, because we see so clearly how David goes back over his history with the Lord. He remembers the Lord upon his bed, and meditates on Him in the watches of the night.
My encouragement to you today is to sit with the Lord and to remember what He has done. If you have a prayer journal or some way that you keep track of your prayers, read back through them! If you don’t, I would encourage you to start now! We are forgetful creatures and having a tangible record of all the Lord has done in your own personal life is a powerful tool. Ask the Lord to bring to mind the things that He has done, write them down and praise Him for them! Let Him build up your faith by reminding you of the way that He has moved in your life.
Prayer Points-
Ask the Lord to remind you of all that He has done, and ask Him to build up your faith.
Pray that the Lord would reveal His heart for you as you remember your history with Him.
Pray through Psalm 63, and allow your soul to thirst for Him.
Heavenly Father,
Thank you. Thank You for all that You have done, and all that You will do. Lord, bring to mind all the ways You have moved in my life in the last year, in the last month, in the last week, and in the last few days. God Your steadfast love is better than life, would You build my faith right now as I meditate on all that You have done? Gracious Father, give me eyes to see Your hand in my life every day, and help me to remember those times when my faith would waver. In Jesus’ name, Amen
In Him,
Rachel Crites
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