Do You Remember?

59. About the space of one hour after, another confidently affirmed, saying, “Of a truth this fellow was also with Him: for he is a Galilean.”

60.  And Peter said, “Man, I know not what you are saying.” And immediately, while he was yet speaking, the rooster crowed.

61. And the Lord turned and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the Word of the Lord how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you shall deny me three times.”

62. And Peter went out and wept bitterly.

Luke 22:59-62

Memory is a Gift from God.

The ability to remember is such a precious thing. It is more than merely the recovery of facts and the ability to recall data. Memory is a gift from God. When it is used “properly” it helps us to further God’s plan and to honor His kindness. The fact that you can reflect on something that happened in the past means that God has provided a means to realize how much He has truly blessed. We are deeply awed when we think of how far God has brought us on this journey of faith. Some are amazed when they consider “where” the Lord has brought them from. Others mark their journey with the testimony of God’s provisions during very difficult and stressful times. All of the people of faith would say “amen” to the phrase, ‘if it had not been for the Lord Who was on my side – I don’t know where I would be.’ For this reason, we can all agree that the ability to remember is a precious gift of God.

Memory is more than a ‘flash-back,’ it is a conscious effort to reflect on the Goodness of the Lord. Psalm 77 is what I call a “Remember God Song.” In this song, the writer Asaph encourages praise by remembering God. In verse 3, he exclaims his hardships without God. I remembered God and was troubled. In verse 9, he asks, has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender Mercies? But then in verse10 and 11, he resolves to be steadfast in hope despite the struggle. I said, this is my infirmity but I will remember the years of the right Hand of the Most High … I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember Your works of old. Asaph was stressing the need to remember the Lord regardless of the circumstances. God cannot fail nor can God be unfaithful to His Promises. He is God and He cannot change nor will He ever change His Mercy and Goodness. That is good to remember.

Despite all the good things that the Lord has done, we all struggle with ‘memory loss’ when it comes to honoring God. Let me repeat that. We all struggle with ‘memory loss’ when it comes to honoring God. As in the case of Peter, we are hit with a crisis of faith and if we yield to our own understanding, we will forget what the Lord has said. The question is whether such memory lapse is due to willful neglect or unintentional weakness. The results are the same. When we fail to remember God’s favor and goodness on our lives, we fail God.

Memory Loss

We have to admit that some days the memory works just fine, but there are other days when we find it difficult to even recall simple things. For the Apostle Peter, just hours earlier, he had vowed to be faithful to death. He and the other apostles were all committed to supporting Jesus no matter what. Then, in the Garden of Gethsemane, the crisis took place. Peter tried to defend his Lord with the arm of the flesh by taking a sword and cutting off the ear of one of the Temple guards. Yet even that could not prevent Jesus’ arrest and subsequent trial. In a matter of a few short hours, Peter’s vow to protect Christ was crumbling and he was struggling to even admit that he knew Jesus. First, one of the servants of the high priest recognized Peter as one of Christ’s followers, but Peter denied it saying, “I don’t know Him.” Then another person noticed Peter’s speech and mannerisms and said, “you are one of them.” But Peter denied it and said, “I am not.” Then, about an hour later, the third person called Peter out again and stated, “certainly this fellow was with Him, for he is a Galilean.” Peter gave the third response, “I don’t know what you are talking about.” At this point, Peter’s memory had completely failed him or did he, like many of us, just refuse to acknowledge God?

So rather than condemn Peter and ‘throw him under the chariot,’ it would be more advantageous for us to use his circumstances to evaluate our own memory loss issues. It is entirely possible for us to fall victim to the same thing that happened to Peter. There is no doubt that you and I love the Lord. There is no doubt that we possess a sincere desire to be faithful to God and to do His Will. Yet there are moments that without warning, we cast aside God’s Will for our own way. In those moments, we fail to remember the loving kindness of the Lord. Whether it is a little lie we tell just to gain some advantage. Whether it is in committing some act that we know is wrong. The results are the same. By not remembering God we actually deny Him Lordship over our life.

Let us present these memory loss episodes in three categories: selective memory loss, sedated memory loss, and stressed memory loss. The selective memory loss is bent on choosing when it is advantageous to remember and when it is not. It is easy to remember God when there are blessings flowing. As the saying goes, everybody can love the Lord when they are on the mountain top of good fortune. When it comes to the commitment to serve God in the valley, many will forget. Psalm 23 is not just a song to remember the Lord as our Shepherd but to also remember that we are His sheep. We can literally read the opening verse as our call to always remember and acknowledge God. The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. If God is enough, then be satisfied and serve the Lord with faithfulness. Don’t forget His goodness. A good illustration of selective memory is the two year old who would quickly wander off from their parent for some side attraction, yet when they notice danger they quickly cry out for protection. That is the way we treat God with our selective memory.

Then there is the sedated memory loss where something has happened that hampers the ability to focus. Sedated memory loss could result from health challenges. In those cases, the person suffers “excusable” memory loss and should not be held accountable for failing to remember. There is such a thing as inexcusable memory loss. That is when people should know better and do better. This is the other form of sedated memory loss where the results are due to self-induced substances. There are millions of people who purposely try to forget by drowning their problems and pain through alcohol, drugs, or whatever else that can ease the mind. Some self-induced methods also include pride, lying, and the intoxication of riches that rob the mind and empty the soul. There are many who have forgotten God because they think that they are secure in themselves. As James Weldon Johnson wrote in the famous hymn, Lift Every Voice, they are drunk with the wine of the world … lest we forget Thee. We live in a highly toxic world that does not think twice about robbing the soul of every reference to God and at the same time setting up idols to replace the Goodness and Mercy of the Lord. Such is the sedated memory of many.

 You’re probably wondering, how does this memory loss thing relate to Peter’s denial of Christ. In my opinion, Peter suffered from the third form of memory loss and that is due to stress. Stress related memory loss is common among Christians as we too face our own crisis of faith. Peter didn’t just deny the Lord once or twice, but it was three times in a matter of hours. “How sad” you say and yet if you and I also deny the Lord when these faith emergencies take place. We must ask ourselves what can we do to keep us from crumbling in our own commitment to serve the Lord? First, let’s look at how Jesus dealt with Peter’s memory loss and then we’ll look at a couple of key factors that will help us maintain a “holy memory.”

For those who would dismiss this notion of stress related memory loss, it would be beneficial to listen to the medical research community. Psychologists describe the common reactions to stress as fight, flight, or freeze. Peter did all three. First he fought to defend Jesus. That didn’t work. Then he took flight with the other disciples but found that that wasn’t satisfying either. So he decided to “follow at a distance” to see what would happen to His Lord. He wanted to do something but felt powerless. That is when Peter froze. That is when he denied Jesus. That is when Peter uttered the words, “I never knew the Man.” Stress will put you there in a matter of minutes. The good news is that Jesus was watching. Imagine that, even in His Suffering, Jesus still had His Eye on Peter. Notice what the verse says,  And the Lord turned and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the Word of the Lord how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you shall deny me three times.” I cannot help but think of that old hymn, His Eye is on the Sparrow. Jesus was not only looking at Peter, but He was also looking out for Peter. He does the same with us in our time of crisis. Yes, His Eye is on the Sparrow.

As Luke points out, it was more than the rooster crowing that awakened Peter from his memory lapse; it was the look of Jesus that restored Peter to consciousness of Who Jesus was and the relationship they had. When the verse said that Peter remembered, I believe he remembered his confession of Jesus. I believe the thought of all the miracles he had seen Jesus perform came flooding back to his mind. I believe that as Jesus looked at Peter, the focus changed from fear to faith. It works the same way with us when we take a good solid look at Jesus. No, the look does not remove the stress; it overcomes it.

And Peter remembered … Those are powerful words, but they must become our own personal words if we are to overcome the stresses of life. So, how do we restore our own “holy memory?” Here is where we go back to Bible basics. First, believe God’s Word. Peter had to remember what Jesus said. You and I must reflect on the things that God has said to us and the affirmations that God gave to us in His Word. If God is your Shepherd then stop forgetting that fact. If God is your Way, your Truth, and your Life, then stop doubting that. If God has said, “follow Me,” then stop wavering and get back to following Him. Second, show remorse for your actions. Yes, like Peter, we should have a good cry and be ashamed of our actions. Peter went out and wept bitterly. Unless you are truly saddened by your wrong actions, you will be tempted to repeat them. 2 Corinthians 7:10, godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regrets …  That is why it is good to cry when you hear God’s Word because God’s word will work to restore a good memory. Lastly, be grateful always.  Even in stressful times, always show your gratitude to God and acknowledge Him. When we do that, God will show you exactly how to deal with the stress and give you victory in your faith. Peter remembered, what about you? Do you remember?