Is It Right To Remind Our Redeemer?

“You have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.'” (Genesis 32:12)

Is it right to remind our Redeemer of anything? Does He not know all things and remember all things too? He most certainly does, so the idea of “reminding God” may sound strange. Yet we are given permission to remind God of His promises — not to jog His memory, but to strengthen our own.

Jacob did that very thing when he was about to encounter his brother Esau, whom Jacob had deceived and wronged. The last time Jacob had seen Esau, Esau was planning to kill him, so Jacob feared for his life and the lives of his family. He confessed to the Lord, “I am afraid Esau will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children” (Genesis 32:11). And then Jacob, in all humility, reminded God of His promise of blessing. We are to do the same when we are confronted by some difficulty or trial. 

Reflect on any promise God has given you and lay hold of it with a humble heart. What is there to fear from any angry “Esaus” that may come against you, when your God is absolutely and completely for you and has promised to do you good?  Notice the word “surely” in today’s verse; I take it as a guarantee from our God. In other words, we can be absolutely certain that God will make good on His promises to us. Our good God has promised to do us good, regardless of what may come against us. 

No matter what you may be facing today, when you remind your Redeemer of the promises He has made to you, your faith is strengthened and your hope is renewed. Remember, God’s Word is not for the benefit of God; it was given for our benefit. The better we know it, the better we will be able to recall it and remind our Redeemer of His many and varied promises to bless us, protect us, and do us good.

God wants us to come to Him and present our requests and desires to Him. In addition, He has given us permission to open our prayers with “You have said . . .” — recognizing that this reminder is for us and not for God, so that we might be strengthened in knowing that He who has promised can be trusted to make good on every promise He has made.

The Amplified Bible says of Abraham, Jacob’s grandfather, that “No unbelief or distrust made him waver . . . concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God, fully satisfied and assured that God was able and mighty to keep His word and to do what He had promised” (Romans 4:20-21).

Let me encourage you today to get in the habit of reminding your Redeemer when you are on your knees before the throne of grace. Is there anything in particular that you need to remind your Redeemer (yourself) of what He has promised? I promise you it will keep you from ever forgetting that your God is a covenant-keeping God who has promised ultimate good to you as you make your way into glory. 

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!