Remember!

    “I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel. And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a name like the name of the great men who are on the earth.”
​(1 Chronicles 17:7-8)
    One day, while king David was in his house, he found himself desiring to build a house for the Lord. After all, he, David, was living in a house of cedar but the ark of the covenant of the Lord was being housed in a tent. This did not please David at all. He shared his desire with Nathan the prophet. God, in turn, spoke to Nathan and told him to tell David that He was not particularly desirous of a house to live in. He had never complained about it before. He then instead reminded David of where He had taken him from and of the good things He had done for him, to the point where He had made his name great (see verses above).
    What I love about these verses is God’s reminder to David of where He had brought him from. David was virtually a nobody. Even when the prophet Samuel came to anoint one of his father’s sons to be the next king of Israel, he was not even invited to the feast Samuel had demanded for this occasion. He was considered insignificant, unimportant, of very little value by his own family. 
    Yet, when it was time for the anointing to take place, even though he was not present, that did not stop God from choosing him. In fact, he had been chosen by God even before the prophet Samuel got to his town. God chose him even when he was hidden in the sheepfold. I love that about God. We may be hidden, insignificant, unseen, but when no one sees you, when no one sees your worth or value, God sees you clearly! And nothing or no one can hide you from His sight. It was God who took David from his place of insignificance and made his name great. It was God who delivered him from all his enemies, causing him to be highly respected by men near and far. God did it!
    Sometimes we forget all that God has done for us! We can get so caught up, so distracted by present challenges and circumstances, that we forget where God has taken us from and the good or even great things He is doing in our lives. I love the fact that God did it for David. When David was not even thinking of a life of greatness, God was thinking it for him! Imagine what God is thinking about you! You may desire great things for yourself, but God will always do greater than the desires of your heart. 
    God has a way of overwhelming us. I remember various times in my own life where God did something that so overwhelmed me that I did not even know how to respond. The most I could say was, “God You have overwhelmed me!” What has God done in your life? Where has He brought you from and how has He made your life so much better than what it was before or even than what you could have dreamed or imagined? Some of us are still watching and waiting for a dream to come to pass. But, what about what God has already done? Have you forgotten that? Or are you so caught up in present disappointments and challenges that you can’t remember what He has done for you? 
    I encourage you to take the time to remember. Remember what God has already done in different areas of your life. Remember the things He has brought you through when you thought you would not have made it. Above all, think about the reality that as you face trials and tests now, God continues to enable you to stand. Sometimes the fact that you are still standing when you should have fallen long ago, is the miracle in itself.
    God did great things in David’s life, for those of us who remember his story. Here’s the thing: God. Did. It! And God has done and is continuing to do great things for you. I encourage you to remember your past with Him, and look forward to what He still has in store. And as you remember … be thankful!
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God is a faithful God. He will never leave you or abandon you. He desires the best for you and will do His part to ensure that that best comes your way. So, be thankful for what He has done and for what He is about to do.​

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