The Power of Recall

"Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! 20My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD." (Lam 3:20-26).

In Lamentations Jeremiah is dismayed and in grief over the fall of Jerusalem. As he remembers all the difficulties he experienced as God's prophet during a time of crisis, he became despondent and perplexed. Jeremiah has been known as the weeping prophet. But that nick name does not do justice to the kind of man that he was. Yes Jeremiah often wept before God because of the physical and spiritual condition of his people. But Jeremiah was a courageous prophet who proclaimed God's word even in the face of great hostility and opposition. Oh, there were times when Jeremiah got so discouraged that he felt like throwing in the towel. But during these times Jeremiah knew how to get a hold of God in away that God could get a hold of him. Like Jeremiah we need to learn how to get a handle on our emotions before they get a handle on us.

Why was Jeremiah so despondent and discouraged? Because not only was he thinking about the past and present circumstances he was focused on the negative aspects of those circumstances. But notice that his heartache changed to hopefulness when he shifted his thinking from his past and present circumstances to the person and character of God.

Sometimes we view God through the lens of are circumstances and jump to conclusions about God. When what we need to do is view our circumstances through the lens and in the light of who God is. How do we do this?

I. The Power of Recall:

Once again Jeremiah shifted his thinking from his past and present circumstances to the person and Character of God. He said, “"Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! 20My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope…” It says here that his soul was remembering the hard times and it brought him down. But then the prophet shifted his thinking. He writes, “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope…”

It’s amazing how God created our minds. So precious, so powerful and yet so vulnerable. God has given us the ability and supercharged that ability when we got saved, to be able to recall to our minds glorious truths that will lift us up out of the dungeon of despair and bring us to a place where we experience his hope, love and mercy.

Success in the Christian life, overcoming debilitating emotions, and freedom from habitual sins, all hinged on the power of recall. But this power, although it is given to us by God, must be exercised and developed.

Have you noticed that the list of the armor of God found in Ephesians 6, by which we do battle against the enemy of our souls, are primarily defensive. But there’s one definite offensive weapon that is crucial to our success in the Christian life and that is the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The power of recall is energized by the spirit but the Spirit works together with the word of God. But sadly may Christians are not giving the Spirit much to work with because they are not daily filling their hearts and minds with the word of God. Notice what Jesus said in John 14:26, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

Are we spending time with the Lord? Are we allowing him to reveal himself to us through his word and storing up those revelations in our hearts so that they can be recalled in life’s battles against sin and debilitating emotions? We spend far too much time on trivial things and very little time with the Lord.


II. Focusing our minds on the Character of God:

Notice also not only the power of recall to lift us up and change our thinking, but what Jeremiah recalled.

1. “It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed..." (The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;)

2. “…because his compassions fail not…” (…his mercies never come to an end…)

3. “They are new every morning: Great is thy faithfulness.”

4. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him."

Our heartaches will change to hopefulness through the power of recall and when we learn to shift our thinking from our past and present circumstances to the person and character of God.

III. Preaching to ourselves:

Notice also in verse 24 that Jeremiah was not only calling to his mind glorious thoughts about God but he was also preaching to himself. It’s been said that most of our unhappiness comes from listening to ourselves rather than talking to ourselves.

May we learn like Jeremiah to exercise and develop the power of recall, to focus our minds on the character of God in his relationship to us and may we quit listening to our negativity and begin preaching God’s truths and promises into our lives.