Remembering with the Heart

"And do you not remember, when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?" They said to Him, "Twelve." Mark 8:18-19

Remembering something intellectually is a far cry from remembering with the heart. The disciples had witnessed Jesus’ miraculous feeding of the 4,000 and the 5,000. They remembered these events in detail, but their hearts were hardened with unbelief. They recalled intellectually, but that is as far as it went.

How often do we all fall into the trap of remembering what God did in the past, while thinking it makes no difference in our current situation? Have you seen someone come to Christ for salvation, or a marriage on the rocks restored, or a drug addict freed by the power of God? We saw God do specific miracles in the past, but we fail to believe He can do similar deeds in the present.

We must have fresh faith for every situation. "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6). Yesterday's miracles and victories don't automatically translate into today's divine intervention. Yesterday's faith is like the manna the Jews collected in the wilderness. What they gathered would last for one day, and the leftovers spoiled; it was worthless the next day. They had to gather fresh manna each day. We too must gather fresh faith each day. Therefore we must read God's Word daily because "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17). Then we must unite it with faith from our heart!