Zakar
Zakar. A discipline I engage in quite frequently is the practice of remembrance. Reflecting on all God has done. Pausing and taking in the goodness of God. Remembrance. Zakar is the Hebrew word for remembrance, meaning to recall- to bring to mind. Zakar engages a posture of thankfulness and gratitude. In zakar, we consciously choose to bathe in the beauty of redemption.
“Yet I could never forget all your miracles, my God, as I remember all your miracles my God, as I remember all your wonders of old. I ponder all you’ve done, Lord, musing on all your miracles.” Psalm 77:11-12 TPT
Zakar infuses us with thankfulness. On the other hand, the Hebrew word for looking back is nabat. Nebat, unlike zakar, implies a sense of regret and longing for another time. To nebat means to look intently at something with pleasure or care.
One infamous use of nebat in scripture is Genesis 19:
“But Lot’s wife looked back and became a pillar of salt.” Genesis 19:26 NIV
Lot and his family were told to flee Sodom and Gomorrah and never look back. They had been spared. But Lot’s wife willfully chose to look back and she became a pillar of salt. Now if we nebat, we most likely won’t become a pillar of salt. But regret and longing, can internally destroy us, and we will fail to see God’s grace and provision, just as the Israelites did.
The Israelites were master complainers. They were also master nebaters. They constantly looked back, longing for another time. First, they groaned and moaned in slavery in Egypt. But then when God rescued them, as they had asked, they longed to return to Egypt.
“The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! Then we sat around and ate pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted. But you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” Exodus 16:3 NIV
Instead of recognizing God’s grace and faithfulness, they fantasized about slavery. They remembered incorrectly and their complaining kept them in the wilderness for 40 years. The Israelites became products of their own complaining. The same is true for us. When we do not recognize and acknowledge God’s goodness and grace, we can easily spiral into a pit of nebat. But there is good news! The antidote for complaining is remembrance. Exchange your nebat for zakar and watch thankfulness overflow in your spirit.
- Kierstin Almstrum, Soul Care + Connections Lead
About Kierstin
Kierstin is a licensed and trained Christian counselor. She believes wholeness is a journey and that, through the work of the Holy Spirit, what once was broken can become whole. Her passion is to equip others with the tools needed to start their journey.
