Consider our length of days. When laid in the balance against eternity, they are but a breath, a vapor, a fleeing shadow. Some are blessed with long life relatively, but even the longest lives, when considered absolutely, are but a moment. “The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:10). None, apart from the return of Christ, are exempt from this sentence. The day soon approaches when we will be looked for and not found, when the name that was once called out is forgotten, and when the body that once thrived returns to dust. “All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field” (Isaiah 45:6-7). Just as the grass withers and the flower fades, so too it is with our lives.

The soul, however, continues beyond the grave. It will endure forever by the sustaining power of God. How, then, should we regard the soul? If we esteem possessions in proportion not only to their value, but also to their endurance-and indeed, the latter increases the former-then our regard for the soul must be in proportion not only to its dignity, but also to its eternality. Few consider this in our day. The multitudes live for the moment, forgetting eternity. They live for today, giving so little thought to the endless tomorrows that await them. When faced with the brevity of life, they respond, not by seeking the eternal welfare of the soul, but by saying, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” (1 Cor 15:32); and even if they would never think of speaking such words, their conduct testifies to them.

Not Nehemiah. He was persuaded that life is more than food, and the body more than clothing (Matt 6:25); that his greatest needs were not for time, but for eternity; that the things that are seen are temporal, but the things that are not seen are eternal (2 Cor 4:18). And how did Nehemiah provide for his eternally enduring soul? -By seeking God’s remembrance. Though his prayer included God’s provision for his temporal needs and desires, it did not regard those things primarily. It was rather a request of God for his eternal destiny: that God would remember him by making provision for the good of his never-dying soul.

What is the greatest need of the soul? It is God’s provision of salvation. We need God to remember us by forgetting all of our sins. This is the very promise of the new covenant: “For,” says God, “I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” (Jer 31:34). It is the new covenant in Christ’s blood, the blood that cleanses from all sin (1 John 1:9). And how blessed is the man whose sin is forgiven! Whose transgression is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity! Such a salvation cannot be earned; it is the gift of God to those who humbly seek Him. But the softened heart is burdened by its sin, so much so that it feels unworthy to come to Him-and unworthy we are. But His grace is greater than all our sin; His righteousness is a free gift to all who believe; He delights to save the sinner, and He is the physician of the sick. Therefore, we can cry to Him: “Remember me, O Lord, with the favor You have toward Your people; Oh, visit me with Your salvation” (Psalm 106:4).

We would do well to contemplate the thief on the cross. Here the unworthiness of man and the grace of God meet, and Christ shows Himself to be the Savior of the hopeless and unworthy. That thief, who by his own admission was righteously condemned, requested one thing of Jesus: “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom” (Luke 23:42). What was Christ’s response? “Truly I say to you, this day you will be with me in paradise.” A promise that all of his sins were washed away! A promise that there would be a place for him in heaven! A promise of eternal life! In the blink of an eye, the criminal became a Christian; the sinner became a saint; the wicked became righteous; and for one cause-that he bowed to Christ as his Lord and asked Him to remember him. Though he was numbered among the righteous on earth for only a moment, he is numbered among the righteous in heaven forever, having obtained the promise that “the righteous will be in everlasting remembrance” (Psalm 112:6).

In all this, we have not denied our earthly needs and desires, but have sought to give place to that which far outweighs them. For what good are such temporal blessings if eternal destruction awaits the recipients? They would only be as the fattening of the calf for the slaughter, or as the cool, gentle breeze before the raging storm. “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt 16:26). We would think a man a fool if he planned the minute at the loss of his lifetime. How much more an eternal destiny! But so many do this very thing, neglecting that which is of ultimate consequence for the moment: as Esau, selling their birthright for a bowl of soup; as Saul, forfeiting the kingdom for the spoil; as Demas, falling short of the salvation of God for love this present world. There is a cartoon picture showing the scene of a home with the family car and other possessions and a boy standing in the midst of them. The caption asks, “Which one of these will last forever?” The unstated answer is: the boy. He has a soul that will remain forever, long after every material thing is gone. Dear friend who reads this, remember that your soul is eternal and that its destiny is of the greatest consequence. Take heed, and do not allow yourself to fade away into a destiny in which you are remembered, not for good, but for destruction. Learn to number your days so that you might present to God a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:12)

In Nehemiah’s prayer, he asked that his God would remember him. If you would have God to remember you in salvation, you must make Him your God. You must confess your sins and call upon Christ to save you from them. You must take Him as your Lord, your Savior, your King. You must find in Him the source of all good and blessing. You must give Him your life. Having done so, you will have the forgiveness of sins. You will always have His remembrance for your good. You will know His eternal smile in the blessedness of heaven.