The Good Book

"And a Book of Remembrance was Written Before Him" Malachi 3:16

We often think of God's record-keeping as negative. We especially think of the final books being opened in Revelation 20, and shudder. But the child of God need not fear: “Their life is hid with Christ, in God” (Col. 3:3). Theirs is not a book of judgment but of blessings. Here is their book.

The instruction of our passage is contained in metaphor. As if God is keeping a book transcribed by Omniscience for those who fear and love His name. This is not a book about God Himself but rather a book about the thoughts, words, and deeds of His faithful followers. The passage tells us that God notices and cherishes the holiness and devotion of those who honor Him. He cares enough to write them all down.

Try to imagine this heavenly book kept by an Almighty pen. In this book, every familial fear, every holy thought, every tear shed in secret for sin, is recorded by God. No matter how fleeting that moment may seem in this ‘here-and-gone’ life, not one flash of true love and devotion escapes His heart.

This divine record-keeping speaks to the sacred act of remembrance. It tells us that our God is not a distant, indifferent spectator to the lives of His saints. He sees, He notes, and He remembers. Each time we bow our heads in true prayer, every time we sincerely meditate upon His Word, when the law and the gospel strike us, wound us, heal us, enliven our hearts, make our souls tender and warm, we add a line to this everlasting book.

This gives weighty significance to our quietest, most hidden moments with God. In a day when actions are often gauged by their 'likes’ and ‘subscribe,' Scripture tells us a different story: the unseen, unread, unnoticed is what God values. “Works done in secret will be rewarded openly,” Jesus said. (Mat. 6:4) Our prayer closet, our Arabia if you will (Acts 9), our whispered utterances of worship, the hush of godly meditation—all these are inscribed in the annals of heaven.

As believers, we are sometimes tempted to measure our spiritual life by others. We compare by external metrics—the activities we engage in, the ministries we support. Yet here we are reminded that our inward life, our heartfelt reverence and thoughtfulness of God, holds a special place in His heart. What comfort this brings! In our loneliest hours, in times when our souls wrestle in secret agonies, we are not unwatched, nor are our struggles unrecorded. They are not worthless. They are treasured.

Every tear that escapes in the quietness of a prayer closet, every sigh lifted up in the solitude of midnight, is captured, written, remembered by our compassionate Savior. This knowledge should strengthen our faith, stirring us to cherish those unseen moments with our Savior, knowing they are observed by Him with loving attention.

Perhaps this truth will call us to a more profound, more present discipline of holy reflection and outward good deeds. Let us cultivate a habit of pondering His Word, not only in preparation for teaching or instructing others or in response to trials, but as the natural inclination of hearts turned by His grace. Let our thoughts of Him be frequent, our conversations about Him be filled with reverence and awe. May there be much repentance, many exercises of faith, true prayer, Bible meditation, and works of love for others. Let us live as if every thought, every deed, is contributing a line to this treasured book. May our entries be plentiful and our pages be stained with the ink of Christ's blood and our tears.