When I check my phone of a morning, I find an email from Google Calendar, and it reminds of my schedule for that day. When the gas tank in my truck reaches a certain level, the computer in my truck sounds a beep and displays a message on the dashboard. This is a reminder that I can only drive another 50 miles before I run out of gas.

Reminders come in different forms. Some are sounds like bells and whistles; others are anniversaries recorded on the pages of a calendar; and, some can be as a simple as the old string tied to your finger or a note scribbled on the palm of your hand.

The purpose of communion in a church service is to remember—“Do this in remembrance of me,” is what Jesus said when He instituted the Lord’s Supper. The Psalmist knew the importance of reflecting on the goodness of God, and he wrote: “Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face evermore! Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth (Psalm 105:4-6).”

God even went to extreme measures with some of the more colorful figures in the Bible. Both Jacob and Paul were left with a physical ailment to serve as a reminder of who they once were and where God was taking them.

Jacob wrestled with the angel of God, and the pain in his hip caused him to walk with a limp the rest of his life—a reminder of the presence of God. Paul was pursuing and persecuting Christians like a raving madman until met Jesus on the Damascus Road. This is where I believe Paul received his “thorn in the flesh” that vexed him the remainder of his life.

What reminds you of the goodness of God? I encourage you to take some time over the weekend to pause and remember. Turn off your cell phone; find a quiet spot; read the first six verses of Psalm 105; and, flip through the pages of your mind to reflect, remember and see how God has been present in your life.

As you “remember His marvelous works which He has done,” you will be able to give Him thanks, and the peace of God will find its way into your life.