Jump Start # 199

Nehemiah 13:31b “…Remember me, O my God, for good.”

  This passage ends the book of Nehemiah. Four times in this chapter and once earlier in the book, Nehemiah states this expression, “Remember me, O my God…” This is a great statement and is due our attention. He wanted God to remember him.

  That is an interesting twist. Generally, we think, and rightly so, that we are the ones who ought to remember God. We have a way of forgetting. The weekly assembling of the saints and the weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper are God’s ways to keep us from forgetting. I hate to think how many days, or weeks, would pass without a thought of God, if we didn’t have these reminders.

  But Nehemiah is not saying, I need to remember God. Rather, God, remember me. For anyone to remember someone else, there has to be a history there. You can’t remember going to visit a place, if you have never been there. A history must be there. God had a history with Nehemiah. Throughout this book Nehemiah prays and prays to God. He calls upon the people to follow God. He encourages the reading of the Law of God. Nehemiah led the nation to a spiritual revival with God. There was much to remember.

  Nehemiah wasn’t perfect, none of us are. He had mistakes, failures and sins. We all do. He would do things differently, if he was allowed to. We understand this. But his prayer is that God would remember him for good, meaning, for the good that he has done.

  This prayer ought to be our prayer. We ought to say, “Remember me, O my God, for good.” To do this, we first must have a history with God. Would the Lord respond, “Remember what?” Or, “I don’t really know you, you were always too busy for me.”  Following Nehemiah’s example we need to talk to God often. Pray before the busy day starts. As you eat, be thankful. Pray for others. Pray that your attitude will be right. Build a history with God.

  Then, too, Nehemiah had been busy doing good. Remember me, O my God, for good is the thought. God’s people are “do gooders.” Not in the negative sense, but true to the expression, we do good. We help others. We make time for others. We find ways to shed some sunshine into the lives of others. This is done not to boast or draw attention, but rather, because it is just the right thing to do. Besides, this is the way Jesus was, and we tend to do what Jesus did. Doing good builds a history in which things can be remembered.

  How will people remember you? The person who owned a bunch of stuff? The person who worked and worked all the time? The grump? The kind neighbor? More so, how will God remember you? We hope that it is for the good that you are doing.

  Great prayer…great admonition for all of us.

Roger