“Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the Lord have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.” Ezekiel 36:36
“In all that has happened to us, you have remained righteous; you have acted faithfully, while we have acted wickedly.” (Nehemiah 9:33)
“Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard... Malachi 3:16A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name.” (Malachi 3:16)
God rebuilds what we break. He does it in cities, in nations, and in hearts.
"Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the Lord have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it." (Ezekiel 36:36)
Ezekiel spoke these words to people who had lost everything. Jerusalem was burned. The temple was gone. God's people lived as captives in a foreign land.
They had earned it. For hundreds of years they had turned away from God.
But God made a promise anyway. He would rebuild. He would replant. And when He did, everyone watching would know who did it.
The Wall Was Done. The Work Was Not.
Years later, God kept His word. The people came home. Under Nehemiah, they rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem in just 52 days.
You might think they would throw a party and move on. They did celebrate. But then they did something deeper.
They stopped. They gathered. They opened God's Word.
For hours they listened. Then the leaders prayed a long prayer that told their whole story. They started with Abraham. They walked through Egypt, the Red Sea, the desert, the Promised Land, the judges, the kings, and the exile.
It was not a happy story about them. It was a true story about God.
Over and over, the people failed. Over and over, God stayed faithful. Then came this line:
"In all that has happened to us, you have remained righteous; you have acted faithfully, while we have acted wickedly." (Nehemiah 9:33)
Why Remembering Matters
Remembering keeps us honest. When we look back, we see two things at once. We see our own failures. And we see God's faithfulness running through every one of them.
That is not a reason for shame. It is a reason for worship.
Think about your own journey. Where were you ten years ago? Twenty? What did God carry you through? What did He rebuild that you thought was gone for good?
We forget fast. That is why God tells His people again and again to remember. Stones were stacked by the Jordan River so children would ask, "What do these mean?" The Passover meal was eaten every year. Jesus gave us bread and the cup and said, "Do this in remembrance of me."
Remembering is not looking backward to stay there. It is looking backward so we can walk forward.
Remembering Leads to Obedience
Nehemiah's people did not stop at a prayer. Right after they remembered, they made a promise. They wrote it down. Their leaders signed it. They agreed to follow God's law, keep the Sabbath, and care for God's house.
Remembering led to action.
This is the pattern. We look back and see God's faithfulness. Then we respond with our own. Not to earn His love, but because we already have it.
Obedience that grows out of remembering is different from obedience that grows out of fear or duty. It says, "God has been so good to me. How could I not follow Him?"
God Is Listening
Now jump ahead about 100 years. Things have gone downhill again. In Malachi's day, many people said, "What's the use of serving God? It doesn't pay."
But not everyone said that.
"Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name." (Malachi 3:16)
I love this verse. A small group of faithful people got together and talked about God. That is all. No big event. No crowd.
And God leaned in to listen.
He did more than listen. He had it written down. A scroll of remembrance. In the next verse, God says, "They will be my people. On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure."
Here is the beautiful turn. We remember God's faithfulness. And God remembers ours.
What This Looks Like for Us
Remember on purpose. Keep a journal. Write down answered prayers. Tell your kids and grandkids the stories of what God has done in your family.
Remember honestly. Like Nehemiah's people, be willing to say, "God, You were faithful, and I was not." Confession is part of the story.
Respond with obedience. Ask one simple question: "In light of all God has done, what is my next step?" Then take it.
Remember together. The people in Malachi "talked with each other." Faith grows in groups. Around a table. In a Bible study. In a men's group on a weekday morning. When believers speak together about the Lord, heaven is listening.
The Bottom Line
God rebuilds what was destroyed. He replants what was desolate. He said He would, and He does.
Our part is to remember that journey and respond with obedience. Not once, but again and again.
And when we gather to talk about His goodness, we can know this for sure. God hears. God writes it down. And God calls us His treasure.
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