Scripture
Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
Observation
Have you ever experienced the delivering and rescuing power of God? I'm talking about those moments when your situation looks completely hopeless but suddenly God's amazing grace intervenes and your situation is miraculously changed! Can you think of moments like this in your past?
It's amazing that when we are confronted with a new challenge, we often fail to remember God's faithfulness in the past. Our perspective gets blurry because of the problems we are currently facing, and we forget that we've gone through similar or worse circumstances before. The looming mountain of problems before us looks so big that we momentarily fail to remember all the other mountains we've already faced and overcome with the help of God.
When Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy, the younger man was facing the biggest mountain of his life. Nero had become the emperor of the Roman Empire. Because of his tyrannical rule, believers were being persecuted and were even dying for their faith. In the midst of all the panic, Timothy was tempted to fear for his life and his future. He must have wondered, Is God going to be faithful to me in this terrible hour?
So in 2 Timothy 1:5 , Paul tells Timothy, when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also Paul wanted to remind Timothy about something very important!
God's faithfulness was a part of Timothy's family heritage. His grandmother trusted the Lord and the Lord had never failed her or let her down. His mother trusted the Lord and the Lord had never failed her or let her down either. Because Timothy was dealing with great stress and difficulty, Paul took the opportunity to remind him that just as God had never failed his grandmother or mother, neither would He abandon Timothy in his difficult hour.
Then Paul told him, ...Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 2 Tim 1:6
I want you to particularly focus on the phrase, I remind you. In the Greek, it means to regather or to recollect memories. It carries the idea of replaying these memories over and over again in your mind, the way you would hit the rewind button on your dvd player so you can back up and watch one part of a movie over and over again.
This means there are some memories we should never forget! For example, we should constantly hit the rewind button in our minds and replay the times that God has been faithful to us in the past delivering us, healing us, and rescuing us time and time again. We should replay those scenes in our minds until we never forget His faithfulness to us!
Application
Don't ever forget what God has already done for you, for those memories will stir you up and encourage you to face your present dilemma with faith. Just as God has always been faithful to you in the past, He will be faithful to you right now.
Never forget how:
• God has healed you.
• God has delivered you.
• God has saved you.
• God has guided and directed you.
• God has brought you through difficult trials.
• God has provided for you during hard financial times.
• God has protected you from the snare of the enemy.
These kinds of memories are powerful and will stir up your faith today!
Prayer
Lord, You have always been faithful. I thank You that even in my present situation, You are going to be faithful again. Please help me recall all the times in the past when You delivered and rescued me from other situations that also looked hopeless. Thank You for helping me keep those awesome experiences alive and fresh in my mind and heart. I thank You for always being faithful to me! Thank you Lord for you great faithfulness towards our nation, Singapore!
