The scriptures that state “And God remembered” used to baffle me. Wait a minute. Isn’t God omniscient? If He remembered something, does that mean that prior to that He forgot? Then how could He be all-knowing? When I began looking at the examples in Scripture where it states that God remembered, I learned that the word remembered didn’t mean to recall something that had been forgotten. It carries more of the idea of looking upon someone with regard or seeing someone as worthy of attention, especially after a period of struggle (See Hannah, Rachel, Abraham, Noah, David). Scripture repeatedly tells us that God remembers His people, and sometimes He even causes us to remember them. That is exactly what God did last week at the St Jude virtual marathon. Let me tell you about my friend Ashley.
Ashley was running her first full marathon after months of training. She had made the sacrifices. Running at dark-thirty. Running in the fog, rain, heat and cold. She had suffered through hills and cramps, blisters and chafing, and all those things that marathoners go through to discover capabilities and strengths they didn’t know they had. And she had done it. She had completed the training that meant that she was ready to conquer that 26.2 miles.
What was hard in training, however, became even harder on the day of the race. Ashley struggled through the last several miles, suffering painful muscle cramps. She fell further behind her anticipated finish time and began to fight that little voice inside her head that tried to tear her down. She began to criticize herself for struggling, for trying to do something that was so hard. But Ashley had another voice inside her head. It was the voice of her sister, Lori, who had passed away 8 years prior. It just so happened that the race was on the anniversary of Lori’s death, and it was Lori who had encouraged Ashley to make healthier choices, lose weight, exercise, and stop drinking sodas. Ashley couldn’t help but to think how fitting it was that the race fell on this particular date, giving her a way to honor her sister for encouraging her to live a healthier life.
Those last few miles were ruthless as Ashley struggled to continue putting one foot in front of the other. Her friends and family began cheering as they saw her approaching the finish line and witnessed the determination on her face. The exact moment she crossed the finish line, the civil defense test siren sounded the loud noon whistle. We began laughing and saying, “Look, Ashley, even the siren is cheering for you.” She immediately burst into tears. I thought she was just overcome by the momentous achievement she had just accomplished, but the blood drained from my face when she said, “Lori passed away at exactly twelve noon.”
It wasn’t meant for Ashley to have some strikingly fast pace for that race. It was meant for her to struggle. It was meant for her to reflect upon the words of her sister. And to finish at that exact moment in time.
Ashley honored the memory of her sister that day and celebrated her life. And God did, too. “Remember me, Lord, when you show favor to your people” (Psalm 106:4). Oh, how God remembers…in the most impressive ways.
