ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

 Monite Fepueli 23, 2026

NOMIPA 28-30; ‘AISEA 49:8-16

Hope for God's children is found not in their remembering him, but in his remembering them.

Ko e ‘Amanaki ki he fanau ‘a e ‘Otua, ‘oku ‘ikai makatu’unga ‘i he’enau manatua Iaa, ka ‘i he’ene manatua kinautolu.

I had just spoken at a conference and was in the lobby of the church greeting the attendees, when a man approached me. He came toward me with a big smile on his face, like he knew me and was glad to see me. As he hugged me, he said, "It's so good to see you." His familiarity caught me off guard, because I didn't know who this person was. He clearly knew me and began talking about things he assumed I would remember. But as I searched through my mental file drawers, I couldn't place this man. He could tell I was lost and kindly reintroduced himself to me, jokingly saying he could tell he had really made a big impression on me. As he walked away, I knew he knew that I had no idea who he was. How could I fail to remember someone whom I apparently was supposed to know well?

Numbers 29 describes the blowing of the trumpets at the beginning of the holy convocation on the first day of the seventh month. The blowing of the trumpets was much more than an announcement that the convocation was beginning; it did more than call the children of Israel to attention. The blowing of the trumpets was a prayer, a specific and important prayer (see Num. 10:10). The trumpets were not blown for the people; they were blown to the Lord. The sound of the trumpet was a prayer for God to remember his people, and in remembering them to continue to guide, protect, and provide for them. The present security and the future hope of Israel rested on one foundation: that God would remember his people and all the promises he had made to them concerning his presence, his provision, his protection, and his forgiving grace. The children of Israel had no ability to control what they needed to be controlled, to conquer what needed to be conquered, or to provide what needed to be provided. They were wholly dependent on the Lord's remembering them and, in remembering them, working on their behalf. They would never grow into independence but would always need to rely on God's remembering and providing grace.

When God calls us to himself, he doesn't put us in a process that moves from dependence to independence. Christian maturity is not about independence, but about a growing willingness to be wholly dependent on the providing grace of the Savior. We can depend on him because we know that God never forgets or loses track of any of his children. With a loving heart he remembers all that he has promised us in Christ, and, because he does, we have both hope and help right now and a secure future waiting for us. It's good to always remember your Lord, but it is glorious to know that he always remembers you.