In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, Jeremiah received this Message from God:
“Get a scroll and write down everything I’ve told you regarding Israel and Judah and all the other nations from the time I first started speaking to you in Josiah’s reign right up to the present day. “Maybe the community of Judah will finally get it, finally understand the catastrophe that I’m planning for them, turn back from their bad lives, and let me forgive their perversity and sin.”[1] (Jeremiah 36:1-3 The Message)
Fear Not… Then Keep a Record
Most Wednesdays I do a bit of shopping for JubiWednesday dinner. I used to just have a general idea and go to the store. But I kept forgetting bread, or lettuce, or grapes, or onions. And going back to the store is not a good use of time.
So now I make a list. I write it down. And I rarely forget ingredients anymore.
When God gave an important message to Josiah, God did not just leave it to Jeremiah’s memory. God told Jeremiah to write it down. So Jeremiah would not forget the exact words. So Josiah would not forget the message. So the nation of Judah would not forget what God had said.
And even so we would not forget.
That message, recorded by Jeremiah, is part of the book of Jeremiah.
Vague memory might not accurately relay what God wants us to know.
Understanding the general concept of God’s message is not always enough.
The Words themselves clearly matter to God.
This also applies to our own experiences with God. In the same way, although without the same inspirational oomph, writing down what God has taught us will help us remember. It will help us understand. It was help us get it.
And your grandkids might be glad, too.
Fear not, then keep a record.