I very recently tagged along with my wife on one of her work trips, as I’m known to do. While she attended her meetings and worked all day, I roamed around downtown San Antonio, Texas, and up and down the Riverwalk. This wasn’t our first trip there. We’ve always enjoyed visiting that city.

One of the first things I realized as I began my walking on day number one was that several things didn’t look like they did the last time I was there. I remembered some things being where they no longer were. And there were some things now where nothing once was. I questioned my memory.

You see here a nighttime view of the Mission San Antonio de Valero, now known simply as the Alamo. In the evening when the crowds are much smaller than the bustling daylight hours, the Alamo is truly beautiful to see. In the processes that helped seal the independence of the state of Texas from Mexico, the people were challenged to “Remember the Alamo,” or in other words, remember what happened, and fight! So, that phrase, “Remember the Alamo,” has become synonymous with the place. Question your memory, as such.

The most recent sermon I preached brought me to a place where I was trying to explain a point, and suddenly I completely lost my train of thought, and I struggled along with my listeners to remember what I was talking about. That is a strange and embarrassing feeling. I tried to remember, and I couldn’t at that moment. And I questioned my memory.

As we experience the aging process of our parents and so many others around us, we watch those dear people struggle with their memory, even questioning themselves at times. We walk into a room and can’t remember why we are there. We don’t write down our grocery list because we “only need two things,” and we come home with everything but those two things, because we forgot about them.

Psalm 56:9 is a short but powerful verse that includes these words (or something similar, depending on your translation) — “This I know, my God is with me!”

Lord Jesus, if I forget everything I’ve ever known, if I forget everyone I’ve ever loved, if I forget everywhere I’ve ever been, I will be fine as long as I remember that You are with me!

Thank God that even when I question my memory, I still remember what He has done for me! What a blessing! “Remember!”