February 13, 2025 ~ juliezcoleman

by Jennifer E. Tirrell

“I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you ask, “How have you loved us?” Malachi 1:1 NIV

I’ve often wondered when our search for the answer to that question starts. When do we begin to ask the Lord, “How have you loved us?”

I was born to a grieving woman. Five months earlier, my father drowned on my mother’s birthday. Surely if I asked the Lord, “How have you loved me?” based on birth circumstances alone, I would come up rather empty.

I choose, instead, to remember and record what I know to be true. El Shaddai, our All-Sufficient God, covered me with His grace. The hand of the Lord was upon me. He gave me a home. I was kinship adopted by my eldest sister. He opened the eyes of my heart to know and serve Him.

There have been times when I let go of His hand, failing to live according to His will. Yet, His hand stayed open, waiting. Whether I held it, or not, remained my choice.

How does your testimony begin?

Malachi was the last of the Old Testament prophets. He wrote a message from God to the Israelites. In it, he rebuked the priests and the people for failing to live according to God’s Word and will. Most of them, deep in sin, forgot what the Lord had done in their lives. Others remembered what the Lord had done, and recorded it. They were so happy, they leapt like “…calves released from the stall.” Malachi 4:2

In Scripture, God’s people are often told to remember. Whole Psalms and other passages are dedicated to that exercise. Why? The Israelites were to remember how He freed their ancestors from slavery and oppression and led them to the Promised Land. To recall the great miracles and provision He gave their ancestors as they traveled through the desert. How He proved His faithfulness over and over again through the ages.

We, too, should remember what God has been to us. It puts what is going on in our lives into perspective. When we remember God’s love and work in our past, we remember the attributes He demonstrated. His goodness. Kindness. Unrelenting love. Grace. When we dwell on who He is, demonstrated by what He has done, we are enabled to reach out and trust Him. We will gladly take the hand of help and protection He continually offers.

I’m not sure I can manage to leap like a calf any more, but I sure would like to try. Let’s try it together!

Lord, thank you for keeping your hand open and waiting for us. Please bring to mind all the ways that you have loved us with your divine love.

This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).

Join the conversation. What is one way God proved Himself to you in your past. Does remembering help you trust Him for the future?