The run up to our wedding was nothing short of, er, stressful. Pretty much everything that could go wrong did. The honeymoon tickets never arrived, we needed jobs, a car, somewhere to live, the registrar informed us with less than a week to go that we couldn’t be legally married without the ‘green paper’ (the what-now?) and the cravats weren’t working out. I know. Nightmare.
So we prayed. And every. single. request. was answered. Every one.
Lounging around on honeymoon (after another series of mishaps like being flown into the wrong airport), I commented to Dan that we should write down all the answers we had received as it was highly likely there would come a point in our marriage where we would need to remember the miracles and provision we had witnessed.
There is something sacred in remembering.
To remember is not just to hold a thought in your head, it is a deliberate choice, a sacred act of the will. Psalm 77:10–12 NIV (emphasis mine) captures this beautifully:
“Then I said, ‘I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High.’ I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”
The psalmist was in a season of despair, overwhelmed by hardship, questioning God’s presence. And yet, even in the struggle, he makes the conscious decision:
I will remember.
The Hebrew word for ‘remember’ (zakar) carries more than mental recollection. It is active: to call to mind, to make present, to let memory shape your response. Remembering is a choice. It is not automatic. It is a spiritual discipline. The great news is that you get to decide what to reflect on, what to rehearse in your mind, and what you allow to shape your heart.
This matters not just spiritually but neurologically.
Research in cognitive science shows that intentionally recalling experiences — particularly those associated with gratitude or positive meaning — strengthens neural pathways, rewires perception, and reshapes emotional response. In other words, remembering God’s faithfulness and goodness isn’t just pious; it literally reshapes your brain and your heart. Psalm 103:2 NIV (my emphasis) echoes this: “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits.”
And so what are the implications for us as we close out another year?
If this year has been difficult — if you’ve felt like the waters were rising and God was distant — you are not alone. Psalm 77 carries the voice of anyone who has struggled to see God’s hand in the storm. Yet, even in the darkest moments, remembering shifts perspective.
One of my favourite examples of remembering in scripture is found in the very first book of Genesis. We all know the Sunday-school version of Noah’s story: 40 days and 40 nights, stuck in the ark, and then ta-da, out he comes. Except it wasn’t like that. God told him how long it would rain for, but what He didn’t tell Noah was how long he’d have to wait in the ark before being released.
In chapters 7 and 8, the Hebrew uses a literary tool called a palistrophe (a kind of mirroring structure, think 1234,4321) to highlight the central point of the narrative. The days of rain, waiting, flooding, and submerged waters comes 7, 7, 40, 150. And then in reverse as the waters go down, the story goes 150, 40, 7, 7. So what is the central point we need to see?
But God remembered Noah . . .
Like Noah emerging from the flood, it may feel as though you have been forgotten—but Genesis 8:1 reminds us, “But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark.” Same same for you too, my friend. God remembers you too. He sees, He knows, He cares.
Remembering, then, is both an act of faith and an act of freedom. You choose to call to mind what is true. You rehearse the goodness of God, His presence, His faithfulness, and His promises. You anchor your soul in what cannot be undone. And in doing so, you create space to breathe, to trust, and to receive the peace He offers.
FINISH FREE
If you want to process 2025 and intentionally enter the new year remembering God’s presence, faithfulness, and goodness — and release the pressures you’ve carried along the way — I’ve created a free, gentle, guided reflection called Finish Free. It is a simple way to pause, remember, and step into 2026 with His peace and freedom. You can download the journalling PDF here:
As we look toward a new year, let’s take comfort in this truth: the One who holds time in His hands has already gone ahead of you. As Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV reminds us:
The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.
He has already prepared the way. You do not enter this next season alone. You do not carry the weight alone. He is with you, leading you, steadying you, making a path where you cannot see it yet.
As you look back over this past year, what is one moment — big or small — where you can say, “God remembered me here”? Share it with us below so we can remember His goodness together.
Lord, teach us to remember. Bring to mind Your faithfulness, Your nearness, and the quiet ways You have carried us. Where this year felt heavy, breathe Your peace. Where we feel forgotten, remind us that You go before us. Lead us into the new year with hearts steadied by Your presence and freed by Your grace. For Your glory, amen.
If this resonated: come join us for 31 Days of Beginning Again this January. Together, we’ll create space to hear His voice, scatter with intention, and step into the good He wants to grow in and through us.
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I was in a very dark season of depression and doubt and fear. A sick, stray female cat showed up on my deck and clearly needed to be rescued. She was scrawny and disheveled and had a large, infected wound on her side. With slow, deliberate patience on my part, she began to trust me and allowed me to tend to her needs and wounds.
Jesus began to reveal His heart towards me through this and the CROSS became a central theme for several weeks in my life. It seemed at every turn I was reminded and held in the awareness of the Great Rescue God executed for me.
With slow, deliberate patience on His part I began to trust Him and allowed Him to tend to my wounds.
That stray cat was grafted into my heart and she soon gave birth to one gorgeous little kitten who we kept.
MOST marvelous of all is that as she grew and fluffed out a bit, she bore a very distinct marking. A pure white, furry CROSS emerged on her forehead and I will forever be undone by God’s intentional pursuit of my doubting, despairing heart.
Thank you for inviting me to remember!
I see that God remembered me by opening doors of provision and opportunity that I had prayed for and even in a wobbly 3 months for his hand of protection and favour and how he used it to gently remind me that He doesn’t rush past grief or push it to the side-he takes his time, he is present in it and plans to use circumstances to walk me through it so I can walk with others in theirs.
I am thankful too for the right people at the right time he has placed around me that have faithfully prayed for me and listened and encouraged me by their example.