There are seasons when faith feels strong and seasons when we have to choose faith again. In both, remembering matters.

During this second week of our 40 Days to Return journey, we pause to remember the faithfulness of God. We look back at His mercy, provision, protection, correction and sustaining love. We remember not to live in the past, but to recognize the God who met us there, and who is still with us today.

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The Hebrew word teshuvah is often translated as “return” or “turning back.” In context, it is connected with repentance, self-examination and returning to God. Our Christian reflection on teshuvah is not a replacement for its Hebrew observance or the guidance of that community. Instead, we are receiving this season as an opportunity to examine our hearts, turn toward God, and walk more faithfully with Him through Jesus Christ.

For adults 45 and older, remembering can become a powerful spiritual practice. We have lived through changes, losses, answered prayers, disappointments, new beginnings and wilderness seasons. Our testimony is not that life has always been easy. Our testimony is that God has remained faithful.

Remember the Benefits of the Lord

Psalm 103 begins with a personal invitation:

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” Psalm 103:2, KJV

The psalmist speaks to his own soul because the soul can forget. We may remember the problem but forget the provision. We may remember the loss but overlook the comfort. We may remember our mistakes but fail to remember God’s forgiveness.

Psalm 103 calls us to remember that God forgives, heals, redeems, crowns, satisfies, and renews. These gifts do not mean that every circumstance will immediately change. They remind us that God is present and compassionate in every circumstance.

Take a few quiet moments this week to name specific ways God has been good to you. Think beyond general statements. Remember the person who encouraged you at the right time. Remember the door God opened. Remember the strength you received when you thought you had none left. Remember the forgiveness that gave you a new beginning.

Gratitude becomes stronger when it becomes specific.

Remember the Wilderness

Deuteronomy 8 tells Israel to remember the wilderness. The wilderness was not an easy place. It was a place of hunger, uncertainty, testing, and dependence. Yet God was present there. He led His people, provided for them and shaped them.

Moses told them:

“And you shall remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness…” Deuteronomy 8:2

The wilderness revealed what was in their hearts, but it also revealed God’s care. Sometimes we only understand the meaning of a difficult season after we have walked through it. Looking back, we may see that God used hardship to deepen our patience, humble our pride, strengthen our compassion or teach us to trust Him more fully.

This does not mean we should call every painful experience good or pretend that suffering did not hurt. Faithful remembering makes room for honest grief. It says, “That season was difficult, but God did not abandon me.”

Perhaps you are remembering a wilderness season now:

• A season of caring for an aging parent
• A difficult marriage or family situation
• Job loss or retirement uncertainty
• A health challenge
• Grief after the death of someone you love
• A spiritual season when God seemed silent
• A long delay in an answer to prayer

Bring that memory before God without shame. Ask Him to show you where He was sustaining you, even when you could not recognize it at the time.

Do Not Forget God In Abundance

Deuteronomy 8 also gives a warning for seasons of blessing. When the land is fruitful and life becomes more comfortable, God’s people must not assume that their success came only through their own ability.

This is a timely word for every generation. We work hard, make wise decisions and use our gifts: but we are still dependent on God. Our strength, opportunities, relationships, health and resources are all gifts that deserve gratitude.

For adults entering retirement or a new chapter of life, this may be a season to reconsider what God has entrusted to you. Your experience is valuable. Your testimony matters. Your time, wisdom, finances, home and influence can still serve His purposes.

Ask yourself:

• Where have I taken credit for what God has provided?
• Has comfort made me less dependent on prayer?
• Am I using my present season only for myself or also to bless others?
• What wisdom from my life can I pass to someone younger?
• Where is God inviting me to serve in a new way?

Remembering God’s faithfulness protects us from both fear and pride. In hardship, we remember that God will sustain us. In abundance, we remember that God is the source of every good gift.

Call to Mind What Gives You Hope

Lamentations was written in a time of deep sorrow. Jerusalem had suffered devastation and the writer did not hide his pain. Yet in the middle of grief, he deliberately chose what to remember:

“It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22–23

Notice the movement. The writer does not deny suffering. He names it. Then he says, in effect, “This I call to mind.”

Hope did not come from pretending everything was fine. Hope came from remembering God’s character.

There may be mornings when you need to make the same choice. Before you read the news, replay the argument, or rehearse your worries, call something true to mind:

• God’s mercies are not exhausted.
• His compassion has not failed.
• His presence is not limited by your circumstances.
• Your age does not cancel your calling.
• Your past does not place you beyond His grace.
• A difficult chapter is not the end of your story.

Remembering is not denial. It is spiritual direction. It turns the heart toward truth.

Learn from Caleb’s Long Courage

Joshua 14 gives us a special connection to the mission of The Caleb Community. Caleb was not a young man when he claimed the mountain God had promised him. He had waited for decades, endured the wilderness, and watched an entire generation pass away. Still, he testified that God had kept him alive.

Caleb said: “The LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years…” Joshua 14:10

Then he declared:

“Now therefore give me this mountain…” Joshua 14:12

Caleb’s courage was not based on youthful energy or an easy path. It was based on a lifetime of remembering what God had said and trusting that God was still faithful.

At 45, 55, 65, 75, or beyond, you are not disqualified from courageous obedience. You may have a new assignment, a new ministry, a new relationship to nurture or a new step of faith to take. You may not have the same strength or responsibilities you had earlier in life, but God can still renew your courage and use your wisdom.

Like Caleb, you can look back and say, “God has kept me.” And then you can look forward and ask, “Lord, what mountain are You placing before me now?”

A Simple Seven-Day Practice

Use this rhythm during August 20–26:

1. Read: Spend a few minutes with Psalm 103, Deuteronomy 8, Lamentations 3, or Joshua 14.
2. Remember: Write down two or three specific ways God has been faithful.
3. Repent: Ask where forgetting God has led to fear, pride, resentment, or disobedience.
4. Return: Choose one practical step toward trust and obedience.
5. Give thanks: Tell God what you appreciate about His character and care.

You may want to keep a small “faithfulness journal” during this 40-day journey. Write down answered prayers, unexpected encouragement, lessons from difficult seasons and moments when God gives you strength. On a difficult day, you can return to those pages and remember.

Your Week 2 Action Step

Call or write to one person and share a brief testimony of God’s faithfulness.

It does not need to be dramatic or perfectly worded. You might say, “I was thinking about a time God helped me, and I wanted to tell you.” Your testimony may give someone else courage. It may also strengthen your own faith as you speak the truth aloud.

Then ask that person, “Where have you seen God’s faithfulness in your life?”

Let gratitude become a shared testimony.

Closing Prayer

Faithful God,

Thank You for every mercy You have shown us. Forgive us for the times we have remembered our troubles more easily than we have remembered Your goodness. Help us to see Your hand in our wilderness seasons and to remain humble in seasons of blessing.

Renew our hope with mercies that are new every morning. Teach us to examine our ways honestly and to return to You with willing hearts. Like Caleb, help us remember that You have kept us through many years and that You still have purpose for our lives.

Give us courage for the next step, gratitude for the journey, and compassion to encourage someone else. We trust You because You are faithful.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Continue to Week 3: Repair What You Can

Remembering God’s faithfulness prepares us to respond. When we know that God has met us with mercy, we can face relationships, responsibilities, and unfinished matters with humility and courage.

Continue the journey with Week 3: Repair What You Can. Visit The Caleb Community blog for the next reflection, and explore The Caleb Community’s programs for additional ways to grow, serve and move forward in faith.

God has been faithful. He is faithful now. And He will remain faithful as you take the next step.