We have all seen God work in our lives, open a door we couldn’t open, bring great people across our path, or turn a situation around. These are testimonies we can stand on to make our case before God for a desired result. The scripture says, “Put me in remembrance, and let us argue together. Set forth your case, that you may be proved right.” Isaiah 43:26 (ESV)
Putting God in remembrance doesn’t mean that God forgets; far from that! It means to bring up something again for an action to be taken. It is an effective way to make your case before God, giving Him reasons why a certain case needs His intervention. Even taking a step further to tell Him what He did for one in the past, He can do for another.
He stopped the sun for Joshua, opened prison doors for Paul and Silas, hid Elisha from the enemy, sent quail into the desert to feed the Israelites, and put Rahab, the former prostitute, in the family line of Jesus. This can also be a great way to release your faith: God, I was told that we can’t have a child, but I’m asking You, God, what you did for one, you can do for another. Do it for me, Lord.
Anything you can find that God has done before in your life or a friend’s life can be a powerful tool to make your case before God. He did it for them then; now He can do it for you. Find the stories that inspire your faith, where you know it was the hand of God, and have that boldness to declare, ‘Father, you are the God of yesterday, today and forever. Do it for me, Lord. What you did for one, you can do for another.
When David faced Goliath, he didn’t have a chance. Goliath stood over nine feet tall, and his armour weighed 125 pounds. David was half his size, a teenager with no military training; he was a shepherd taking care of animals. Goliath was the champion of the Philistines’ army.
The same David said in Psalm 68, “Display Your power, O Lord, as You have done before.” At the point he wrote this, he had already seen Samuel call him from the shepherd’s fields and anoint him as the next king. He had seen Goliath fall. He had experienced protection from King Saul; the spears missed him while a whole army chased him through the desert, but he wasn’t found.
All these amazing acts of God’s favour, protection, and promotion. He could have been satisfied: “Sure, I have seen God’s goodness.” Look at his attitude! He was saying, “God, do it again. Display Your power, Your favour, Your healing.” He saw God as a God of yesterday, today and forever. That’s one reason God used him in amazing ways. He also put God in remembrance of the wonders He did in the past.
He found reference points where God did it for him in the past, where God did it for others, like Joshua or Caleb. When he faced challenges, he understood that if God had done it before, it would set the precedent and establish the pattern. Now we have an example where we can say in faith, “God, You did it for them; now do it again for us.”
When you have gone through challenges and life throws you some curves, it’s easy to fall into self-pity and give up on dreams, saying, “God, why did this happen?” That’s going to keep you where you are. Instead, go back in the Scripture to a man named ‘Job’.
Job had his whole world turned upside down. He was doing great, a man of integrity who honoured God, but he lost his health, his business, and his family. He was so depressed that he sat down among the ashes. Right when he was about to give up, he looked to the heavens and said, “I know my Redeemer lives.” (Job 19:25)
In the middle of the trouble, he started declaring the goodness of God. The Scripture says God brought Job out with twice what he had before: twice the cattle, twice the strength, and twice the joy. He had twice as many blessings as he had in the past; God gave him double for all the trouble.
In those challenging times, instead of complaining and thinking about how bad life is, try a new approach: “God, You did it for Job; I know You will do it again for me. You brought him out better than before. Lord, I want to thank You that I’m coming out better than before.” That’s what gets God’s attention, and not complaining, but speaking victory and trust in what God can do.
See, the stories in Scripture aren’t just there so we can see what God did back then or celebrate the victories; they are the words of testimony we can use for our own lives. If you have been going through health challenges for a long time, say, “God, You healed that man who had been sick for thirty-eight years by the pool of Bethesda; God, You can do it for me.
If you are going through financial challenges, say, “God, You brought the Israelites quail in the desert; give me supernatural provision. ” If God gave Rachel a baby after she had been barren for years, say, “God, what you did for one, you will do for us; let us conceive this child.” If God brought Ruth a great husband after the pain and heartache, exceeding her expectations and giving her Boaz, say, “God, what you did for one, you can do for another.
How about this: “God, my child is making the wrong decisions, but when Saul was Your greatest enemy, when he was persecuting the church, You changed his mind and turned him into a powerful believer. God, You did it for Saul; do it again for my son; turn his life around…” Maybe you feel like you are in a famine, feeling things have dried up or having challenges at work; you can put God to remembrance and see God’s wonders!
DECLARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS!
In the Scripture, Elijah was in a famine for three and a half years; everything was barren. He went up on top of Mount Carmel and started thanking God for rain when there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. At one point, he said, “I hear the sound of the abundance of rain.” He heard rain in his spirit before there were any clouds in the sky. (1 Kings 18:41-45)
It wasn’t long until the heavens opened and there was a downpour of rain—the drought came to an end. Put God to remembrance of what He did through Elijah in the midst of dryness. “God, You brought Elisha out of that drought; You turned that barren place into an abundant place. God, You did it for him; I’m asking You to do it for me. “You are saying, ‘God, I know You are the same and You haven’t lost Your power.
You were a way maker back then, and you are a way maker right now. You stopped the famine back then, and you will stop the famine right now. You were a healer then, and you are a healer now. You provided manna in the desert back then, supernatural provision, and I know You are a provider now.” Put God to remembrance. Make it personal: “God, You did it for them; do it for me.”
In John, Chapter 12, Jesus was talking to His disciples, telling them how He was about to be crucified and how He was deeply troubled and facing all this opposition and suffering, but His heart was set on doing His Father’s will. He said in verse 27, “This is the reason I came, Father, to bring glory to Your name.” A voice spoke out of heaven in verse 28 and said, “I have already brought it glory, and I will do it again.”
The first glory God talks about refers to Jesus’ birth and how that was supernatural. The miracles Jesus pperformed –multiplying the food, raising Lazarus, and walking on water – all these things that had happened up to that point brought God glory. God acknowledged that, but then He said, “I’m going to do it again.”
What is significant is that the next glory was Jesus going to the cross and being raised from the dead. The next glory was defeating the enemy and taking the keys of death and hell. The next glory was the Holy Spirit coming to live inside each one of us. The next glory was being seated at the right hand of the Father. What was God showing us? That His glory is progressive. What He is about to do is greater than what He has done in the past.
You have seen God’s goodness, His favour, but you haven’t seen anything yet. When He does it again, it’s going to be bigger and better, something you haven’t seen before. Pastor, it’s too late.” God hasn’t brought you this far to leave you. He stopped the sun for Joshua; He closed the mouths of hungry lions for Daniel; He gave Sarah a baby at ninety when it looked impossible. He can do it for you.
What He is about to do is going to supersede anything you have done. Now do your part and have faith. Find some words of testimony; remind God what He has done. Dare to ask God to do it for you: “God, You restored Peter; You gave him another chance. God, do it for me. God, You caused David to defeat Goliath; God, do it again.
Help me defeat this giant. God, You broke the chains off Paul; God, break these chains off me and my loved one. Beloved, your past miracles were not your last miracles. Get ready! I decree and declare that the God of yesterday, today and forever is reaching out to you with favour, healing, breakthroughs and greater glory, in Jesus’ name.
May the Lord bless you and keep you; may the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you peace.
