I recently listened to a Messianic Jewish teacher describe Moses delivering God’s Law to the Israelites on Mt. Sinai as a marriage ceremony. If you’re familiar with the New Testament, you understand that Jesus describes the Church as His Bride. But considering the marriage language surrounding God’s covenant with Israel, even back in Exodus, causes parts of Scripture to come alive in a fresh way.

We love witnessing the moment where two people are standing before each other, promising to love and cherish each other in sickness and in health until death parts them. Consider your own moment at the altar, or that of a loved one. Recall the power in making such a commitment, the joy in giving yourself fully to another person and being fully received. This is the image of Yahweh standing before His people. The marriage altar is a mountain. In lieu of flowers and candles, we have rocks and clouds and parched ground. But the scenery doesn’t really matter, does it? Because the One True God is presenting His vows to imperfect people, promising to bless them, protect them, and be faithful to them until they die. And the people promise to be faithful to Him in return. This is a covenant, a sacred promise to cling to. This is why we hold marriage in such high regard. It too is a sacred promise—one worth protecting and honoring.

One of the ways we do that is by remembering. Throughout the Bible, God remembers the promise He made to Israel and He often calls on them to remember their story—where they came from, who God called them to be, what God promised to do, and what He’d already done.

Throughout the Bible, God remembers the promise He made to Israel and He often calls on them to remember their story…

Joshua 4 tells of an amazing story of God’s provision and power. God parted the flooded waters of the Jordan River for the Israelites to pass through on their way to Jericho. Before the waters filled back in, God told the Israelites to gather twelve stones and set them up as a memorial. Joshua says to the Israelites, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground. For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever” (Joshua 4:21-24, ESV).

God knows there is a gift in remembering. A gift for the people who walked across dry ground to recall the excitement and wonder He knew they would easily forget. It’s also a gift for the generations to come to see God’s provision and faithfulness through the experiences of their parents and grandparents.

If the picture of God’s relationship with His people is one of marriage, then perhaps we should turn to our earthly spouse and remember.

Remember the joy and anticipation of your wedding day. Remember the qualities that you fell in love with, those first years of learning each other, the way you built a life together.

Remember the hardships and the trials, the seasons of pain and disappointment. Were those moments that brought you closer together? Were there days or months or years that drove you to your knees in prayer as you learned to lean on the Lord? Did you watch God perform a miracle, provide in a creative manner, or hold you close when things didn’t go your way?

Remember the joys, the blessings, and the sweet surprises. What were the big moments that you celebrated together? What were the quiet days that you look back on now and deem some of the best? How was God faithful and gracious and kind?

When you reflect on your marriage, you also reflect on the Lord. When you talk about the memories that shaped you, you have an opportunity to remember God’s work in your life. What a gift it is to remember those moments with your spouse! What a gift it is to your children and grandchildren when you share the story of your marriage and the testimony of the Lord’s work.

When you reflect on your marriage, you also reflect on the Lord. When you talk about the memories that shaped you, you have an opportunity to remember God’s work in your life.

On our first anniversary, my husband and I went through each month of our first year of marriage and recalled the significant moments. We still continue that tradition over dinner on our anniversary, recalling the celebrations and the disappointments, often watching the two collide as God proved Himself faithful once again. Sometimes it’s fun to look back on the moments that defined a certain year of marriage. Milestones like year four when the two of us moved across the country and for a while, our only friend was each other. Year five when we brought home our first child and everything changed for the better. (We also learned what selflessness really looks like, what tired actually feels like, and that parenting is no walk in the park!) Year eleven when we moved our family of five back to our home state.

We hope to one day share these memories with our children to not only pass on the history of our family but our history with the Lord. We want to remember how good God was in the middle of a miscarriage, of new jobs and stressful moves, when we lost loved ones and experienced seasons of sadness. How we held one another up and pointed each other to Jesus time and time again.

We want to remember how good God was when we celebrated successes and birthdays, or enjoyed fun vacations and lazy Sunday afternoons. When babies were born or we had family game nights, when we went out on dates or had some of our best conversations over coffee on Saturday mornings.

As we remember how faithful God has been to us, it reminds us to be faithful to each other. Recalling our history with one another & with the Lord reignites our desire to love and serve God with all that we are. It helps us remember that we love and serve God when we love and serve each other.

Psalm 77:11-12 says, “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.”

God is so good and strong, gracious and kind. He is a faithful Father, a forgiving Savior, and a steadfast Friend. He has done mighty things in my life. What a gift that many of His works are displayed in my marriage. Maybe the same is true for you, too. Will you take a minute to remember?