Provoking “is to call forth emotions, feelings and responses. Is serving or u to provoke, excite or stimulate.
“GOD” is the all sufficient one, the one that is capable of doing all things. He is ever present, reliable, dependable and has listening ears to listen to us and act accordingly.
“Remembrance” is the act of remembering or state of being remembered.
Therefore , Provoking GOD’s remembrance is doing something(s) or some activities that will make GOD to attend to you or consider you for something .
There are many spiritual activities one may engage in but before such activities there are basic prerequisites.
For example, one has to accept Jesus as one ‘s Lord and saviour because it is through him that you can access GOD, the Father.
Sin is a barrier and it separates man from GOD. One needs to confess all sins, repent of them and ask for forgiveness and believe you have been forgiven.
Then approach his throne of grace with confidence so that you can receive mercy and find grace to help you in your time of need. Heb 4:16. You then enter his gates with thanksgiving in your heart and enter his courts with praise . Now be ready with your activities to provoke .
Let us consider some spiritual activities one can engage in to provoke to remembrance after fulfilling the prerequisites above.
Prayer. -It is communication with GOD. It is a dialogue between GOD the higher authority and you. Praying violently, fervently and consistently with faith, will always provoke God’s attention to be turned to one’s direction. Hannah kept going to Shiloh yearly, praying with all her being with faith and persistence. On one of such occasions God remembered her and gave a prophetic proclamation through his priest Eli that before the next Shiloh program she will have a child and it happened. So you can provoke God to move on your behalf through fervent and consistent prayer for remembrance.1Sam1:19.
Praise. -
Is lifting up God. It is the joyful recounting of what he has done for us.
God inhabits the praises of his people and when you magnify God, you invite him into your life. God dwells close to you as your praises invite his presence.
Praises can actually provoke remembrance. When Paul and Silas were thrown into prison, about midnight they were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. Acts 16 :25-26.
God inhabits their praises and remembered them in the prison where they were chained and made earthquake to break open the prison doors, this made a way for them and it led to their freedom. The jailer could not believe that Paul and Silas did not force or break the doors open .
Giving - Is disposing of property or voluntary transfer without receiving value in return. Giving could be in form of cash, kind, material , food, clothing, and time.
Giving is encouraged in the scriptures. Cornelius who was devout and God - fearing with all his family, was in the habit of giving generously
to the poor and those in need and one day in a vision, an angel appeared to him and said “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God”.
The outstanding qualities of giving generously to the poor, praying to God regularly came up to God as a memorial and for those acts, God remembered him. Acts 10:4.
Dorcas also known as Tabitha was doing good and helping the poor and clothing the widows by making dresses for them. When she died, all the widows
gathered crying and showed Peter all the robes and dresses she had made for them. God remembered her giving and helps and God so much arranged it that Peter was passing by then, he was sent for, and was called to where Dorcas was laid, and God used Peter to bring her back to life. Acts9:39-42.
Actually Jesus said when you feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty to drink, invites the stranger in, clothes the naked, look after the sick and visit those in prison, you are doing it for him. Matt25: 35-40. In other words there is no way God won’t remember you when you do all these because indirectly you are doing it for God himself. And that was the case of Dorcas. She was brought back to life to do more for the poor and the widows.
Brethren , giving is a good way of provoking God’s remembrance. I admonish you to follow the good examples of Cornelius and Dorcas. Giving is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit, and we should desire and pray for it.
Asking- Is making a request or demanding for something from someone.
In this case it is requesting for something from God. The Bible gives us a leeway in Matt 7:7a&8a that when we ask it will be given to us, for everyone who asks receives. The remorseful and penitent robber who was crucified with Jesus said “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” By asking, Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise. There were two robbers with him, one on the left and one on the right it is only the one that asked him to remember him that received salvation. The other one received not because he did not ask.
Pleading with God.- Is appealing or requesting earnestly. It is to appeal passionately to God. You can actually plead with God for remembrance for he has given us the grace to do so. God says “Put me in remembrance; let us plead together; declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.”
Brethren, there is a great opportunity for you to plead with God for remembrance.
In conclusion, you can provoke God for remembrance through prayer, praise, giving, asking and pleading.
Prayer.
My Lord and my God, as I provoke you to remembrance, graciously remember me for good and mercy.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen.
