WHEN GOD REMEMBERS YOU
WHEN GOD REMEMBERS YOU
(A Sermon Delivered By Rev. Dr. Fortune Nwaiwu)
Date: Sun. 10th Sept., 2023.
Introduction
A man who is likely to fall is
not he on the ground already but he on the top. When he falls, what will the
man on the ground do? A man neglected, despised, and forgotten – Will he be
able to raise him up again? We should be careful. If we are trying to climb up
the social ladder, we should also know that we may fall out in the process, and
if we are already there on top, we should not forget those who are cast down –
those who are at the bottom - those who reside at the lowest rung – for they
will extend a helping hand when we fall.
Do you know that the little ones
around you – the poor you neglect and forget to help are the ones who can help
you in the future? What about your male and female servants you treat as
commoners with no identities, have you forgotten that if you help them grow,
they will be useful to you in the future?
When I was passing through a
town in Port Harcourt, I saw a poor wretched man, and this man was terribly
bitter complaining to me how his relatives had forgotten him. At a point, he
said, "I don’t rely on man for help but God.” This particular statement
from the gentleman remains deeply ingrained in my memory, reminding me that if
God has remembered you, others whom you may not expect will also remember you.
However, I think of the plight
of David who strongly believed that although his parents may abandon him, the
Lord will not forsake him, (Ps. 27:10). David knew about the fallibility of
human nature and the gracious nature of God. And he prayed, "Lord,
remember David and all he has suffered" (Ps. 132:1). This particular
scripture is a plea and cry for mercy. David was determined to build a temple
for God and desirous of bringing the Ark of the Covenant back to the house of
God. He suffered a lot even when the Philistines taunted the Israelites.
Despite being the King of Israel, he had never been a stumbling block to his
nation, nor had he made the Israelites worship any other gods. He suffered and
pleaded that the Lord remember him and all that he has suffered. Can you think
of what you have suffered for the Lord? Are you being persecuted for the sake
of the kingdom of God? Have you been insulted because of your faith in God?
Have friends and family members forgotten you due to the path of righteousness
you have followed? God will remember you. He is not a man who can forget all
you have suffered for him. He is faithful and requires our unwavering trust and
faith.
(Praise)
He
has promised
He
will never fail
I
will follow
I
will follow Jesus
He
has promised
He
will never fail
His
faithfulness is forevermore
His
faithfulness is forevermore.
When God Remembers –
• A barren woman conceives -
Genesis 30: 22 "Then
God remembered Rachel’s plight and answered her prayers by enabling her to have
children.” Rachel was loved by Jacob, while Leah was not. Leah and her
servant had been giving birth to children for Jacob, while Rachel was wasting
away for not having children. She wanted Jacob to give her children by any
means necessary, and since all her efforts to have children had failed, she
gave Bilhah her servant to Jacob. One thing about Rachel is that she had never
relented in prayers, asking God to enable her to have children. Note that it
was when Leah had finished giving birth to male and female children that God
saw that Rachel had none, and then he remembered her plight – how grievous it
is to be barren - and answered her prayers. I don't know if you are such a
person right now, but the power of God will enable you to conceive in the name
of Jesus Christ. There are many of us who are spiritually barren,
intellectually, financially, and materially barren. The Lord, the creator of
the whole universe, will enable you to possess whatever may be your needs. When
God remembered Rachel, she praised God for taking away the disgrace that is
associated with barrenness.
·
The
sick receive healing – John 5:8 Jesus told him, "Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!"
Looking at the condition of this man, he had no one to help him, and
inevitably, he had been forgotten even in this situation. Perhaps, he had
concluded that soon he would die in such a situation. He had been sick for
thirty-eight years, even when the pool of Bethesda was there, healing was yet
impossible because no one took him there. At times, it is good for the sick to
be attended to by his relatives. His relatives can take him to any physician
and do anything humanly possible for him to survive. But this man lacked human
help. He was lying close to where people were receiving healing, but he was not
healed because he had no one. He didn't know that God had a plan for him.
Before you can receive healing from the pool of Bethesda, you must follow some
protocols. You must wait for the angel of God to bubble up the pool, and you
must be the first to enter. But to this man, the protocol breaker – Jesus spoke
to him – "Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!" – John 5:8. The
problem with this man was such that he could not stand up, neither could he
pick up any object nor walk. This made him dwell in history, trying to tell
Jesus about how he had suffered and remained in that situation. He never
thought of receiving healing. And God was aware of this man's circumstances.
And he asked him to pick up his mat and walk. As I am speaking to you right
now, that sickness you feel has no remedy, today is over, for the Lord has
remembered you. Whatever has taken away your strength, joy, crippled your
economy, and devastated your marriage, may the Lord speak to them right now to
stop.
·
The
storm recedes – Gen. 8:1 – When God remembered Noah, who had been locked up in the boat
along with his household and animals for 150 days, the storm receded. We should
know that this storm had wiped out every living creature, and yet Noah and his
household members were spared. My emphasis is that there are people who have
been abandoned in the storm of their problems. Just like the man in his ordeal
for 38 years, and no one attended to him. There are people with court cases,
people with various challenges floating to unknown destinations, and people who
feel that the storm is heavy and unbearable – may the Lord remember you. May
the storm be over in the name of Jesus.
- Our
deliverance is certain – Ex. 2:22 -25 – Israelites continued to groan
under the harsh labor and oppression of the Egyptians. As soon as they
cried for help, the Bible says – their cry rose up to God. And God
remembered them as the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob simply
because He had a covenant with their forefathers. When God saw how the
Israelites had suffered, He knew it was time for Him to act. May God see
what you have been going through today to deliver you from the oppressive
power of your enemies. When we turn to God in prayers, He hears and sees
the need to act on our behalf. The Lord knows right away what is causing
your spirit to be as dull as a doornail, what has been causing you sorrow.
He knows how you have been humiliated and suffered lost opportunities
because of household enemies. Today is your day of deliverance – let your
amen be loud. This is because all your prayers today have risen up to God,
and may God remember you today. Amen.
2. Lord, please remember me and my needs today. Pour out your blessings upon my life and grant me favor in every area.
3. Father, just as you remembered Noah in the ark, Joseph in the prison, and Hannah in her barrenness, remember me in my current situation. Open doors of opportunity and bring breakthroughs in my life.
4. God, remember your promises to me. Help me to hold onto your word and believe that you will fulfill every good thing you have spoken over my life.
5. Lord, when you remember me, let it bring about restoration. Heal the broken areas of my life, mend relationships, and bring reconciliation where it is needed.
6. Heavenly Father, when you remember me, let it bring about divine provision. Supply all my needs according to your riches in glory and release financial blessings into my life.
7. Father, remember me in my times of trouble and distress. Grant me strength and peace, and deliver me from every situation that seeks to bring me down.
8. Lord, when you remember me, let it bring about divine guidance. Direct my steps and lead me on the path that you have prepared for me.
9. God, remember me with your divine favor. Let your favor open doors of opportunities, promotion, and success in my personal and professional life.
10. Heavenly Father, as you remember me, let it bring about spiritual growth and transformation. Help me to draw closer to you, deepen my relationship with you, and become more like Christ in all that I do.
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