Psalms 106:4 – Remember Me

Psalms 106:4 – Remember Me

Being in contact with Jesus, the Word made flesh, awakens within us a powerful transformation. Let’s take a brief look at how one man’s life was changed forever.

Our key verse today is Psalms 106:4 – Remember me, LORD, when you show favor to your people. Visit us with your deliverance.

When I read this verse for myself it looked so familiar to me, then I realized that this sounds so much like words the thief on the cross spoke to Jesus in Luke 23:42 – “…Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom!”

Notice the similarity? It doesn’t stop there. Let’s start at the beginning – Psalms 106:1 – Hallelujah! Give thanks to the LORD, since he is good, for his gracious love exists forever. 2 – Who can fully describe the mighty acts of the LORD or proclaim all his praises?

Now pay attention to verse 3 – How happy are those who enforce justice, who live righteously all the time.

Now let’s look at the conversation between the two criminals on the cross beginning in Luke 23:39 – Now one of the criminals hanging there kept insulting him, “You are the Messiah, aren’t you? Save yourself…and us!” 40 – But the other criminal rebuked him, “Aren’t you afraid of God since you are suffering the same penalty? 41 – We have been condemned justly, because we are getting what we deserve for what we have done, but his man has done nothing wrong.”

By his witness of Jesus – the penitent criminal began to point out the justice of their predicament and Jesus’ innocence to his fellow thief and there on the cross one of them found true happiness and went on to say to Jesus: “Remember Me”

In the lives of those two criminals we witness the story of God’s people described in Egypt and described in the world today. One class of people will complain about their present situation and seek only for relief and escape to preserve this life. Their cry is – “if you are the Messiah, save us!” or “why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness, there’s no bread or water?” or “if God really exists He wouldn’t allow all this bad stuff that’s going on!”

The other class of people will admit “We have sinned, along with our ancestors; we have committed iniquity and wickedness.” – Psalms 106:6 and ask God: Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people. Visit us with your deliverance,” – Psalms 106:4.

verse 8 – He delivered for the sake of his name, to make his power known. 9 – He shouted at the Reed Sea and it dried up; and led them through the sea as though through a desert. 10 – He delivered them from the power of their foe; redeeming them from the power of their enemy. 11 – The water overwhelmed their enemies, so that not one of them survived.

In the end Jesus will come again to deliver His people “for the sake of his name, to make his power known.” He will shout and the dead in Christ will rise, but instead of traveling through the water on dry land we will travel through the sky to meet the Lord in the air and all of our enemies will be overwhelmed, not one of them will survive.

When I ponder my present trials I have to conclude that I deserve far worse than what I currently struggle with. Let me not long for the days of the past when I was devoted to myself and life seemed trouble-free. Today I want to join the criminal with Jesus at the cross and say “Jesus, Remember me when you come into your kingdom”

Just a few moments with Jesus at the cross and the penitent thief began quoting Scripture and probably didn’t even realize it. May our time in the Word of God and in prayer transform us in the same way. May God open our eyes to see beyond our present circumstances and pain and look forward with hope to when Jesus Christ will remember us when he returns to take his people to paradise.