Write things down and you’ll have less chance of forgetting them. Seems like pretty basic life advice. But when it comes to remembering what God’s been telling you, it takes on another dimension. A key part of Christian living is to spend time in the presence of God, listening. It’s in those moments, when we are silent and focused on God, that we can hear Him speaking. He may give us a verse, picture, vision or prophecy – either for you or for you to pass on to someone else. And when that happens, it’s important to make a note of it. When God gave a vision to Habakkuk, He told him to ‘write down the revelation.’ When words are written down, in black and white, they are, in some ways, preserved. In Revelation 21 it says, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true’ (v.5 NIV). Sometimes we hear things wrong, but if we’ve tested what we’ve heard against Scripture (see 1 Thessalonians 5:21), and it’s from God, then we know that the words really are ‘trustworthy and true’. If we have been given a prophecy, it will be fulfilled. God always keeps His promises. When you’ve written it down, you won’t forget what God has promised to you. You can go back and look at it, remind yourself of what’s to come and look forward expectantly. He won’t forget His promise (see Hebrews 6:13-18). Even when it feels like it’s not being fulfilled, we can wait with hope and expectation, because, as it goes on to say in Habakkuk, ‘Though it lingers, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay’ (v.3).
What now:
Start a prayer journal, if you don’t already have one. Each time you listen to God, make a point of writing down what you hear and then regularly go back through and mark when things have been fulfilled.