Esther's Prayer: Remembrance

As the end of another year approaches, we ought to step back and take some time for remembrance. 

Esther did this in her prayer when she spoke to God about the wonders He had accomplished for her people in the past. She'd heard the tales since she was born about how God had separated the Israelites from their neighbors and made them His own special people, bound to Him by covenant. But she also recalled how God's people sinned against Him, giving themselves to other “gods,” and how God justly punished them by handing them over to their enemies.

Esther remembers the good and the bad, the joys and the sorrows, the blessings and the sins. It's all part of her past, and it all contributes to her future as she places her trust in the faithful God Who has carried her people through everything. 

God has carried us through everything, too, over this past year...and always. Now let us recall what God has done for us and how we have responded to Him by reflecting on the following questions.

* Where has God been active in my life this year?
* What miracles have I witnessed?
* In what ways has God corrected or disciplined me?
* How have I responded to God's work?
* How has my relationship with God changed over the past year?
* How has my relationship with other people changed?
* Where have I succeeded in Christian living?
* Where have I failed in Christian living?
* What have I learned about God and myself this year?

Lord, may we remember the past that we may see Your love for us more clearly. Give us the grace to know ourselves better that we may grow ever closer to You in the coming year. Amen.