For a few weeks now I have been meditating on the words of the shema. This reminder to hear and remember, has been like a whisper blown on every fragrant breeze of the summer evenings, and on the vocal chords of the chorus of birds singing at dawn.

As I sifted through our vegetable harvest this summer, I couldn’t help but be amazed at the power that was packed into each tiny seed that went into the ground.

He’s here. The King of Glory.

In Deuteronomy 6, when Moses tells the people to listen, he wants them to listen intently.

““And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭6:6-9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Moses is inviting them to not just hear the words, but to internalize them, and take the truths of his words deep into their being.

The hope is to give rise to a response in them.

Moses also wants them to pass these truths on to the next generation so they do not repeat the sins of their fathers. He wants them to remember who the Lord is, and all He has done. He exhorts them to do whatever it takes to remember.

The Jewish people built alters to God to remind themselves, and the community around them, of His goodness. They wanted to remember His kindness. They wanted to remember Him.

When I read the words of the Shema, and the rest of the passage, their prophetic qualities seem so timely, and the warning so clear: be careful you do not forget the Lord who brought you out.

As we head into fall, I love seeing the vibrant colors of this in-between, and enjoy the cooler mornings that require a sweater. However, I also have these feelings of dread of the winter to come.

Winter always feels like a barren wasteland to me. Dead, dormant, cold and almost endless. And summer, summer is my promised land. A land flowing with milk and honey. Or, in my case, a land flowing with tomatoes and squash.

But there is a call to my heart to pause and remember: The King of Glory is in the wasteland and the promised land.

Hear. Internalize. Know with certainty. Remember.

He is in the wildest wilderness.

He is in the densest fog.

He is in the coldest, darkest winter.

Hear His voice. Internalize it. Remember it. Trust it.

Seasons are cyclical, and so is life. From the mountain top to the bottom of the valley, in and out of trial we go. As we head into the dark, cold of winter, I’ll need the reminder from time to time that the sun is coming around again.

And when the sun comes around again, I need to remember the One who sustained and kept me in the darkness.

What do you need to hear from Adonai today?

What do you need to take deeply into your heart and soul, and internalize about his character for your tomorrow’s?

When you listen, what response does it generate within you?

Shema, O Yisrael: Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Eḥad.

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength….

When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭6:4-5, 10-12‬ ‭NIV‬‬