In the second week of December of 1997, a little six year old boy named Jordan was taken from my brother’s wife’s family in an automobile accident. His favorite song was “You Are My All In All”…and I was asked to sing several songs for his funeral. Even though I could not begin to imagine the pain Curtis and Tracy (Jordan’s Dad and Mom) or Bethany (Jordan’s 8 year old sister) must have been feeling, I asked the Lord to let me feel what they were feeling…and to let me feel what they must have felt at the loss of their only son…and to ultimately let me feel what Father God felt at the loss of his only Son, Jesus. The Lord gave me this song on December 11, 1997 - the day after Jordan died. The funeral was bittersweet. Jordan knew Jesus and was a worshiper. The family rejoiced that he was with the Lord…yet grieved tremendously that he was no longer with them on this earth.
This song - Help Me To Remember - was used to unleash a floodgate of grief yet serves as a reminder to Curtis and Tracy that Jordan’s life was not in vain. They were able to experience the joy of his presence for a while in this life…and now Jordan’s song will be used to remind us of how precious our children are…and how quickly they grow and leave us.
6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord-- 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight-- 8 but we are of good courage and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.
2 Corinthians 5:6-8 NASB
Now that I am personally facing the ongoing progression of Parkinson's in my own life, this song, as you might imagine, has taken on an even deeper meaning for me in my personal walk with Jesus. Doctors tell me that within the next 10 to 20 years, my memory will begin to fade and I could possibly be faced with Alzheimer's or dementia - but I don't necessarily buy into that.
Why is that? Part of the reason is that when I was born again I was given the mind of Christ, so regardless of what state my physical brain may one day find itself in, I will still have the mind of Christ. And to top it all off, my mind is so chock full of amazingly wonderful, magnificent, joyful memories of time spent with my wife, with my children, with my grand children, and with my friends that even Parkinson's cannot begin to erase them from my memory.
And besides. I will have plenty of grandchildren who can re-tell me the stories that I have told them and that I have experienced with them along with the memories made with my own children and with my wife. That's a treasure trove that, even from the vantage point of one suffering with Parkinson's, cannot begin to touch. I will just get to relive those memories again and again and again until I meet Jesus face-to-face..
On top of that, I have no reason to fear because I am absolutely never alone and because I know the one who walks through this illness with me loves me so massively and so outrageously and so lavishly that I trust Him to give me the grace I need to endure whatever comes my way. God is right here with me. Even in those middle-of-nowhere moments life so often throws my way these days. He is so good to me and so faithful to surround me with songs of deliverance. He is God and I am not. He loves me and I love Him. He’s got this…
I realize we do not live our lives in the past, but according to God's Word, it is a good thing to remember all that he has done for us and I believe that includes the joyful memories we have created along the journey of our lives…and even the sorrowful memories He gotten us through. Here are just a few examples from his Word that call us to remembrance of all he has done for us. Regardless of how long or how short our lifespan may be, each life is precious to our father. Never forget that. Here are a few passages from the word of God that indicate to us how much God values the memories we make with him.
When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches…
Psalm 63:6 NASB
I will remember my song in the night;
I will meditate with my heart,
And my spirit ponders…
Psalm 77:6 NASB
I shall remember the deeds of the LORD;
I will certainly remember Your wonders of old.
Psalm 77:11 NASB
Remember His wonders which He has done,
His marvels and the judgments spoken by His mouth…
Psalm 105:5 NASB
Remember my misery and my homelessness, the wormwood and bitterness.
My soul certainly remembers,
And is bent over within me.
I recall this to my mind,
Therefore I wait.
The LORD'S acts of mercy indeed do not end,
For His compassions do not fail.
[They] are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:19-23 NASB
I encourage you to be intentional in creating memory-making opportunities with your family this year…and I encourage you to ask the Lord to help you remember the episodes of goodness and the expressions of his love you have experienced even through the sorrowful times of life. It's OK to glance back and see life from God's point of you. Even the hard times. What is most important is that we keep our eyes always fixed on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
Dennis Jernigan
To hear The Dennis Jernigan Podcast version of this teaching and to hear the song, Help Me To Remember, go to https://www.patreon.com/posts/help-me-to-93619403
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