“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember Your miracles of long age. I will meditate on all Your works and consider Your mighty deeds.” Psalm 77:11-12
My family and I have had cause to “remember the deeds of the Lord” lately. Bill, my husband, is a great one for remembering and giving thanks.
This last August was the anniversary of Bill’s fall while in Yosemite on the Pacific Crest Trail. He was hiking alone, his nephew having gone further down the path, when he caught the toe of his boot on the trail and went straight down, face first onto the ground with the force of 40 pounds of backpack pushing from behind. There are so many miraculous things that took place in that moment and the ones to follow. One being the rock on which his head fell was flat so that his skull was not harmed in any way, just a few scratches on his face. He did break his kneecap in half, for sure, but he was alive. There were many who passed him on the trail offering words of encouragement and, even at times, prayer. The people he will remember the most are those who rescued him. He was taken in a helicopter off the trail to safety.
And this is what I love about how Bill remembers and gives thanks. On August 16th this year, Bill and I took pizza and a large ice chest of drinks to the Search and Rescue Headquarters in Yosemite. Bill could not let this anniversary pass without letting them know how much he appreciated all they had done and just how incredibly well they had done it.
Every time we visit our son in Buda, Texas, Bill insists on buying the firefighters who saved Eric’s life dinner. He has taken two Texas barbecue meals to these first responders so far.
These acts of remembrance to these who have made such an impact on our lives does not compare to the boundless thanks we have for our Almighty God and all He did to save these two most important men in my life. There is hardly a day that goes by that I do not give Him thanks. I remember each miracle that ended with Bill’s and Eric’s lives being saved. They are living testimonies to the mighty hand of God moving this person or that to be at just the right place so connections could be made to bring what could have been fatal ends to a glorious conclusion.
How has the Lord touched your life? What story can you tell of His amazing work? The thing is, it does not need to be a huge something. The Lord works all the time. The notes in the NIV for the verses above say, “Faith’s decision to look beyond the present troubles - and God’s bewildering inactivity - to draw hope anew from God’s saving acts of old.” If it feels like God has left us in these strange and profound times, He has not. He is here in you and me, doing miraculous things that we will remember and we will give thanks for days and years to come. Keep a lookout for His hand at work. See it in yourself. See it in others. Do not let a day go by when you do not recall all He has done, whether in years past or just yesterday, for the Lord is good...all the time!