Precious Memories (Part One)

By David Faust

What is your earliest childhood memory? According to child psychologists, most of us can’t remember much that happened prior to age three. One of my own earliest memories is standing in the front yard of our family’s farmhouse when I was about four years old, watching my two older brothers walk home from school.  

Early childhood experiences impact us profoundly, although we retain few specific memories of those years. At the opposite end of life, memories tend to fade during our senior years. Familiar words and names escape us. One older adult quipped, “When I stroll down memory lane, it’s a dead-end street.”  

Scripture and sacred music, however, occupy special places in the memory bank of the soul. Some elderly Christians with memory problems still manage to recall favorite Bible verses and hymns. Precious scriptural truths often are among the last memories to fade away. In skilled nursing facilities, I have seen residents perk up when they hear the Lord’s Prayer, the 23^rd Psalm, or “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.”  

Truth Imbedded in the Soul 

My mother-in-law played the piano beautifully for decades, accompanying congregational singing while her husband led worship. She died recently in a memory care center, but long after dementia diminished her mental acuity, she still remembered how to play hymns on the piano.  

A classic gospel song says: 

Precious memories, how they linger; 
How they ever flood my soul! 
In the stillness of the midnight, 
Precious, sacred scenes unfold. 

If you grow old and struggle with your memory, what Scripture passages and worship music will you remember? What precious words do you hope you will never forget? What songs will express your faith and comfort your soul? Among others, my own list of songs I hope to remember includes “The Doxology,” “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” “The Goodness of God,” “Shout to the Lord,” “It Is Well With My Soul,” and “The Lord’s Prayer.”  

The Lord’s Keen Memory 

When I was a kid at church camp, we sang a chorus that said, “Do Lord, O do Lord, O do remember me.” Yes, he does remember. 

Floodwaters covered the earth, “but God remembered Noah” (Genesis 8:1). Divine judgment rained fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah, but God “remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe” (Genesis 19:29). David prayed, “Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, Lord, are good” (Psalm 25:7). Another psalm-writer prayed, “Remember me, Lord, when you show favor to your people” (Psalm 106:4).  

Jeremiah wrote, “Lord, you understand; remember me and care for me” (Jeremiah 15:15). Tired from carrying the burdens of leadership, Nehemiah told the Lord, “Remember me with favor, my God, for all I have done for these people” (Nehemiah 5:19). The thief on the cross begged Jesus, “Remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Luke 23:42). 

For nearly 2,000 years, followers of Christ have benefited from a weekly memory jogger, using bread and juice to honor the Lord’s request: “Do this in remembrance of me.” Be assured of this: Even if old age or dementia steals away your ability to remember, the Lord will never forget you. 

Next Week: Precious Memories (Part Two). 

David Faust serves as contributing editor of Christian Standard and senior associate minister with East 91^st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is the author of 1 & 2 Thessalonians: Unquenchable Faith.