PROVOKING GOD FOR REMEMBRANCE - a sermon by Rev.(Dr.) Fortune Nwaiwu
Provoking God for Remembrance
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today I will be concluding our theme on Divine
Remembrance. I believe that God has already started his merciful journey of
remembering us.
Today, I want to let you know that our actions, whether
implicit or explicit, can help to invoke God's remembrance of us. This
remembrance can be either positive or negative, depending on our individual
lifestyle. One thing is certain, if we adhere to the principle of submitting
ourselves for divine benevolence, we will be remembered according to God's
unfailing love. However, if we fail to show kindness, we will surely be
remembered for God's wrath. For example, when the Amalekites made war against
the Israelites, many years went by before God remembered what the Amalekites
did to them on their way to the Promised Land. When God witnessed how the
Amalekites treated his children, Yahweh said to Moses, "Write this as a
memorial in a book and recite it in the presence of Joshua, so that I may
completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under the heavens." – Exodus
17:14. Yahweh is a God of justice. He knew that what the Amalekites did was
completely unjust and deserved punishment. We see later in 1 Samuel chapter
15:2 that the Lord says, 'I remember what Amalek did to Israel, how they set
themselves against them on the way when they came up out of Egypt.' Amalek was
remembered for their cruelty and rebellion against the chosen ones. Do you know
that if you hinder someone's progress, you are just like the Amalekites and
will soon be remembered with God's wrath? Allow your neighbor to reach their
Promised Land. Allow the young girls in your community to get married. Don't be
a stumbling block to their success. Sir, if there is a family that has been
struggling for years without success, are you sure you are not part of the problem?
Sir, if there is a woman who has been sick for many years and has spent all her
earnings, are you sure you are not responsible for her sickness? Madam, if your
neighbor's shop is at the verge of collapse, are you really sure your hands are
clean? We should all know that whatever we do will one day be remembered.
Here are some ways we can provoke God's remembrance:
1. Leading a life of holiness:
In the Bible, we see many individuals who lived holy
lives and how God remembered them. Noah and his entire household lived
righteously, and God remembered them. Abraham, a righteous man, offered a meal
to the angels of God, and God remembered him, rescuing Lot and his household
when Sodom and Gomorrah were about to be destroyed. Similarly, Joseph, who refused
to compromise his faith by giving in to Potiphar's wife's advances, was
remembered while he was in prison. Thus, living a righteous life can provoke
God to remember us. When Elijah felt forgotten, he wanted to die, but his
righteousness made God take him away from Jezebel.
2. Consistent prayer – Isaiah 62:6-7, Acts 10:2-3:
Prayer helps us connect with God and gain his divine
attention. We need to continually remind God about our concerns. We shouldn't
let him rest until he fulfills what he has planned for us. Isaiah loved
Jerusalem and always prayed for it because of the state of the temple. Do we
feel that our church needs spiritual and infrastructural development? We need
to pray and remind God about it. For many years, Rachel lived without a child,
but she prayed persistently. She was consistent in her prayers, just like
Hannah. These two women in the Bible show us that when we persevere in prayer,
it will provoke God to remember us. The Bible says that when God saw that
Rachel had no children, he remembered her and answered her prayers. Similarly,
Cornelius was known for seeking God through prayer. It was while he was praying
that he had a divine encounter. The angel told him that God had heard his
prayers and accepted his gifts for the poor.
3. Supplement your worship with generous gifts.
Every Christian is bound to be generous givers. We don't
only worship without supplementing it with our generosity. Cornelius, an
Italian regiment, was a worshiper of God, though he wasn't baptized yet. He
offered his prayers regularly and gave his gifts to the poor. His generosity
provoked God to remember him. At his moment of prayer, his spiritual eyes
opened to see a vision of an angel instructing him on what to do. We may feel
that we don't know what to do about the situation at the moment. We need to
provoke God through our worship, making vows and giving some alms to the needy.
If we are stingy, it may be hard at times to receive. It follows that not
everyone that asks can receive, but those that diligently seek the Lord and do
everything that pleases him. Your faith is tested if we put it into practice.
If our worship is supplemented with truly generous gifts, our faith is alive. I
want you to provoke God for divine settlement through your generous gifts. This
is because if the Lord has remembered you, he will settle you. This was what
Cornelius did, and he received salvation along with his household. Also, when
Noah made a sacrifice unto the Lord after the great flood that swept the whole
earth, God was provoked to say he would not destroy the world again with water,
despite the wickedness of the world. Also, Hannah did not only pray but also
said that if God would give her a son, she would likewise give him back to God
to serve him. Here, Hannah supplemented her worship with a vow. We can say here
that making a vow is necessary. Throughout the scriptures, people that made
vows provoked God to action. Do you need divine remembrance? Then let your
actions rouse God to act.
4. Obedience to God's will
If we can obey God's word and pray for his will to be
done in our lives, it will induce God to act. How many of us can pray for the
will of God to be done in our lives even when God's will seems too sad to
welcome? King Hezekiah did not accept God's will to happen to him, even when
God sent Isaiah to tell him that he would die. It was only Jesus that prayed
for the will of God to be done. Similarly, Abraham, who was looking for a child
for many years, and the only one he had, God told him to use him for sacrifice.
Abraham was so obedient, relying on the will of God. He might say within
himself that if it is the will of God for me to sacrifice his beloved son whom
he has been looking for, let it be done. He obeyed and took the child for
sacrifice, but there was a divine intervention. What is supposed to be used for
sacrifice was provided, and God warned Abraham not to touch his son. My dear,
when you pray for the will of God, being obedient to his will, your head will
not be for sacrifice. There are some people that tragedies of different kinds
have blown away, leaving them with unforgettable grief and sorrows. Do you
think what happened or is happening to you is God's will? It is absolutely
ridiculous to believe that what happens at times is God's will. Was it God's
will for Cain to murder his brother? If yes, why did God hear the crying blood
of Abel and then curse Cain? My dear, not everything that happens to people is
God's will. The point of emphasis is that when we rely on God's will, it will
provoke God, and things will work better than we think.
Prayer points
1. Heavenly Father, I pray that you remember me in all
the trials and suffering I have experienced, and grant me strength and renewed
hope.
2. Lord, please remind me of your constant presence and
love, even in the midst of my struggles and pain.
3. Father, let your divine favor shine upon me, and bring
restoration and healing to every area of my life that has been affected by
hardship.
4. God, help me to find solace in knowing that you have
not forgotten me, and that you are working all things together for my good.
5. Lord, grant me the assurance that my suffering is not
in vain, but that it has a purpose and will lead to a greater testimony.
6. Heavenly Father, I ask for your wisdom and guidance as
I navigate through the challenges I face, that I may grow stronger in faith and
character.
7. God, fill me with your peace and comfort, knowing that
you are with me even in the darkest moments.
8. Lord, help me to release any bitterness or resentment
that may have developed as a result of my suffering, and instead, fill my heart
with forgiveness and grace.
9. Father, I pray that you provide me with opportunities
to use my experiences to encourage and uplift others who may be going through
similar trials.
10. God, thank you for remembering me in my suffering and
for the promise of a brighter future. May I always trust in your faithfulness
and find strength in your unfailing love through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
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