Driven by Remembrance — Finding Strength Through God’s Faithfulness

Opening

I have a friend who keeps a list on her phone that she calls "Evidence." It's not evidence for a trial, but evidence of God's faithfulness. A parking spot right when she was running late and stressed. Her little one's fever breaking just before rushing to the ER. A text message from a friend on the exact day she most needed encouragement.

Small things, mostly. But when discouragement whispers that God doesn't see her, she pulls out her phone and reads.

"I need the evidence," she once told me. "When everything feels hard, I need proof that He's still good."

That's what perseverance really is. It's not about superhuman strength or unshakeable optimism, but about choosing to remember, even when forgetting seems easier.

Biblical Foundation

Reflection

David didn't write Psalm 103:2 from an emotional mountaintop. This is the same David who spoke of enemies pursuing him, of feeling forgotten by God, of his bones growing weak. He knew what it was like when circumstances screamed louder than promises. That's why he had to command his soul: "forget not."

To persevere is not just to move forward, but to move forward while actively remembering. It's reminding ourselves of God's benefits when what we're living through seems to say the opposite. It's learning to recognize evidence of his goodness, even when the headlines of our lives say otherwise.

But here's what I've learned: God's benefits don't always look like we expect. Sometimes, his benefit is simply giving us strength to get through a day we thought we wouldn't survive. Other times it's a friend who shows up with ice cream and no need for words. It's the peace that wraps around us in a waiting room, or the morning light after an endless night.

When I held my daughter for the first and last time, I couldn't see benefits. That word seemed almost offensive to me. But now, in the long aftermath of that loss, I can see how, even in that sacred and devastating moment, there were glimpses of grace: the nurse who stayed after her shift to help us create memories, my husband's unexpected tenderness, and the care from my parents and sisters, how grief taught me to receive love instead of only trying to give it.

They weren't benefits I would have chosen. But they were benefits nonetheless—evidence that, even in the valley of the shadow of death, goodness and mercy were following me.

Application Challenge

This week, start your own "Evidence" collection. It could be a note on your phone, a jar where you put slips of paper with reminders, or simply a mental exercise where you name one benefit each morning.

Look for benefits in unexpected places:

• The coworker who covered for you when you needed it
• The way your body held you up on a difficult day
• A hug you needed
• A photo sent by your friend of the sunset
• The grace to ask for forgiveness or to forgive
• A good night's sleep after many sleepless ones

Closing Prayer

Father, teach us to be gatherers of Your goodness. When discouragement clouds our vision, clear our eyes to see the benefits that sometimes go unnoticed. Remind us that to persevere is not just to move forward, but to move forward while praising you. Give us the discipline to not forget—not just the great miracles, but the silent mercies, the small graces, the daily evidence that you are near. Help us run our race with our eyes fixed on Jesus, propelled by the memory of all you've already done and the faith in all you will yet do. Amen.

For Your Heart