"And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom"(Luke 23:42).
The thief on the cross who prayed for Jesus to remember him, was obviously in a desperate situation. His sufferings were great; he was about to die; he was facing eternity. The other malefactor was only interested in being saved physically. "If thou be Christ, save thyself and us" (v.39). The repentant thief was more interested in his eternal soul, thus his call for action, "remember me." His prayer was immediately answered, "To day shalt thou be with me in paradise" (v.43). This is a great illustration of the spiritual truth of Romans 10:13, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (also, Joel 2:32).
How comforting it is to know that God will always remember those who are truly His. In fact, that which previously barred us from the presence of God, our sin, has been removed. "And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more" (Hebrews 10:17; Jeremiah 31:34). "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:12).
Old Testament Israel at one time thought that God had totally forgotten her. "But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me." God answered, "Can a woman forget her sucking child . . . ? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands" (Isaiah 49:14-16).
Whether then or now, God will always remember His own. "And a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the Lord, and thought upon His name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels" (Malachi 3:16-17). "The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance" (Psalm 112:6). NPS
