god keeps a record

God keeps books that have information about His people recorded in them! He keeps 'A Book of Remembrance', 'A Book of Tears', 'The Book of Life', and other books that are mentioned as, "And The Books Were Opened" [Rev. 20:12].

The Book of Remembrance
God appreciates spiritual conversations! Every time He hears one, He records it! Just think about this; God is so happy when He hears others mentioning Him. He keeps it in remembrance by having it recorded. ​"Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another And the Lord listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the Lord And who meditate on His name" [Malachi 3:16].

The Book of Tears
God beholds every tear you and I cry; especially the ones due to mistreatment and abuse! God knows and He cares about us. He keeps record of our tears. They do not go unnoticed. God knows everything about our situation, even the stuff we can't see or know about. He hears everything people are saying about us, behind our back. "You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book" [Psalm 56:8]? 

The Book of Life
All who are saved have their names recorded in the Lamb's Book of Life! "And I saw the dead, small and great stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works" [Rev. 20:12].

If God records events and situations, shouldn't we do the same? In 1984 I started keeping a 'Spiritual' journal. I recorded my prayer requests and the date I made it as well as the date God answered. I recorded the opportunities the Lord gave me in which to serve Him. I also kept a list of all those I was praying for with their requests and the day God answered them. I continue to keep a spiritual journal to this day!

There are things we all remember throughout our lives, but there is so much we have forgotten. It is good to record our spiritual journey here, and that includes the good, the bad, and the ugly events God allows us to encounter. 

The Benefits of Recording Your Spiritual Journey
It's been 33 years of recording my spiritual journey. I've gone through quite a few three subject notebooks. A couple of times a year, I randomly pick one, and read through it. I am amazed at how many answered prayers I had forgotten about. It's a good thing I wrote them down! When I looked at how the Lord answered my prayers and the span of time He took to do so, I got an interesting glimpse into how 'He handles me'. I saw a consistent pattern. That was something important for me to take note of!

Often, we become frustrated with God for taking so long to respond to our prayers. We feel ignored or perhaps put on the back burner. There were times I felt that God wasn't getting around to my situation. How wrong was I? I was able to understand a little of what God was doing with me all those days in between when He was silent. God was simply preparing me to receive the answer I so desperately wanted. He was making me spiritually and mentally ready.

One of the major benefits I received from keeping a 'Spiritual Journal', was to see how God was dealing with me. He handles each of us differently! He knows us intimately and He knows how much pressure is needed for us to become more like Christ. He also knows what type of 'Dross' needs to be removed from our lives. God uses all of our situations and circumstances to produce more and more godly character in us.

Keep A Spiritual Journal!
I am encouraged each time I open one of my journals and see how God had been incredibly faithful to me! There are some prayer requests that I recorded, in the 90's, that have recently been answered. Yes, sometimes we have to wait a while. It is confirmation and proof that God will answer prayer!

I encourage you to keep a record of your  spiritual journey. You will literally be able to count your blessings by naming them one by one. It's a New Year! What better time to start than right now!