The Desire to be Remembered
A. K. H. Boyd, D. D. Jeremiah 15:15 O LORD, you know: remember me, and visit me, and revenge me of my persecutors; take me not away in your long-suffering… Jeremiah desires many things; but the thing he asks first, as including all the rest, is that God would not let him drop out of sight and thought. I. THE PERPETUALLY RECURRING PHRASE, "GOD KNOWS," EXPRESSES A MOOD OF THOUGHT COMMON TO RATIONAL CREATURES. 1. A craving everywhere to be remembered. From the lips of the dying, from friends of whom we are taking farewell, fall the words, "Remember me." Ambitious minds, not content that their memorial should be kept in a few hearts, labour that their names may be remembered by multitudes. Oblivion appalls us. 2. The moralist can easily show the vanity of this desire, and the emptiness of the end. What good will it do you, he asks, to be remembered when out amid Australian wilds or on parched Indian plains? or what harm to be forgot? 3. Enough for us, that God so made us that, by the make of our being, we desire to be kindly remembered. II. THE PROPHET SHOWS US THE RIGHT DIRECTION IN WHICH TO TRAIN THIS DESIRE. Pointing to the heaven above, he bids us seek to be remembered there. 1. The thought that such a prayer may be offered to God, teaches us a great deal of His kindliness, condescension, thoughtful care. 2. It was while looking on the kindly human face of Christ, that the whole heart's wish of the poor penitent thief went out in the "Lord, remember me!" 3. It was in special clearness of revelation of God's love, that the Psalmist was emboldened to say, "I am poor and needy, yet the Lord thinketh upon me." III. THE ENCOURAGING VIEW OF THE HEARER OF PRAYER IMPLIED IN THE WORDS OF THE PROPHET'S PETITION. 1. He was not staggered, as he drew near in prayer, by intruding doubt whether the Almighty would listen to his poor words or consider his heart's desires. 2. It is not presumption, but faith, that speaks here. 3. Ponder for your comfort that God "thinketh upon" you "knoweth your frame," etc. IV. IN SUCH INDIVIDUALITY OF PRAYER THERE IS NO SELFISHNESS. It is not the wish to be distinguished above, but to be remembered even as the other members of the family. It is but that when Christ, the great Intercessor, speaks to Almighty God for Himself and His brethren of mankind, saying, in name of all, "Our Father," the poor sinner should not be left out. V. MARK WHAT SIMPLE TRUST IN GOD'S WISDOM AND KINDNESS IS IMPLIED. 1. Everything is asked in that. Enough, just to put oneself under God's eye, just to get God to think of one at all. 2. It is assumed that if God remembers us, it will be in love. 3. God's remembrance is practical. He comes to our help. 4. Doubtless there is a season in the history of the unconverted man in which he can have no real desire that God should remember him: he rather desires to keep out of God's sight and remembrance. 5. Yet the prayer expresses the first reaching after God of the awakened soul (A. K. H. Boyd, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: O LORD, thou knowest: remember me, and visit me, and revenge me of my persecutors; take me not away in thy longsuffering: know that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke. WEB: Yahweh, you know; remember me, and visit me, and avenge me of my persecutors; don't take me away in your longsuffering: know that for your sake I have suffered reproach.