Remembering God’s Works
Monday, January 26, 2026
Year Theme: The Faith of Our Fathers
Month Theme: Foundations of Enduring Faith
Week 5 Theme: Faith Forward
Day 1 Theme: Remembering God’s Works
Scriptures:
Faith that moves forward wisely is faith that remembers rightly. What God has done becomes fuel for trust in what He will yet do.
The psalmist speaks from a place of inner struggle, choosing memory as an act of faith: “I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago” (Psalm 77:11–14). This remembering is intentional. The Hebrew verb zākar (זָכַר) does not describe passive recall but active, purposeful remembrance that reshapes the heart. Memory becomes a spiritual discipline. When circumstances confuse the present, remembering God’s works clarifies trust.
Early Christian writers understood remembrance as essential to perseverance. Irenaeus emphasized that recalling God’s saving acts guards believers against fear and false teaching by anchoring faith in what God has already revealed.¹ Memory protects faith from distortion.
Moses reminds Israel that the wilderness journey itself was part of God’s formative work: “Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness” (Deuteronomy 8:2). The journey was not wasted time; it was training. Remembering reframes difficulty as instruction rather than abandonment. Faith grows mature when it interprets past trials through God’s faithfulness.
The psalmist later urges God’s people, “Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:2). Forgetfulness weakens gratitude; remembrance renews worship. Faith forward begins with gratitude rooted in memory.
Evangelical theologian Alister McGrath notes that Christian faith is sustained by remembering God’s acts in history, especially when present circumstances feel uncertain.² Memory steadies belief when vision feels clouded.
Pentecostal scholar Gordon D. Fee observes that remembering God’s work in Christ and through the Spirit renews confidence and guards believers from despair during seasons of waiting.³ Memory becomes an anchor for hope.
Take a moment today to reflect. What has God brought you through? Where has He provided, protected, corrected, or sustained you? Faith does not erase memory; it redeems it. What God has already done becomes evidence that He is still at work.
Faith that remembers well moves forward with courage.
Prayer
Faithful God, we thank You for Your mighty works in our lives. Help us to remember Your faithfulness clearly and gratefully. Where fear or uncertainty clouds our vision, bring to mind Your past mercies and guiding hand. Strengthen our faith as we recall what You have done, and prepare us to walk confidently into what You are yet to do. Amen.
Excerpt (140 letters or less):
Faith moves forward by remembering God’s faithfulness. What He has done before strengthens trust for what lies ahead.
What this is all about (500 letters):
This devotional opens Week 5 by focusing on remembrance as a source of faith. Drawing from the psalms and Israel’s journey, it shows that recalling God’s past works strengthens trust and gratitude. Believers are invited to practice intentional remembrance, discovering that memory becomes a spiritual discipline that fuels confidence and prepares faith to move forward.
Endnotes
Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book III (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994), pp. 420–422.
Alister E. McGrath, Christian Theology: An Introduction (Oxford: Blackwell, 2011), pp. 22–24.
Gordon D. Fee, God’s Empowering Presence (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994), pp. 902–904.
© 2026 by Kingdom Life Stream
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