Remember What I Told You
“I told you so.” Those are stinging words to hear after a hard experience—especially when it follows our refusal to take wise advice. Most of us have an innate desire to be right. But that kind of self-inflation can upstage our concern for the person who needs support more than a lecture.
Jesus uses a variation of “I told you so” in His words to His disciples in Luke 24:44: “He said to them, ‘This is what I told you while I was still with you.’” These words are not part of a shaming lecture; they are a loving encouragement. That becomes more apparent when we hear what He had been telling them: “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” “Everything” written about Jesus in the Scriptures included humiliation, torture, and execution. It also included Jesus walking out of the grave three days later. So Jesus is not delivering a caustic, “I told you so,” but an encouraging “remember”—especially powerful as He shares his final words with them before He ascended to His Father in Heaven. Everything the Scriptures said about Jesus happened. And everything Jesus endured, secured our forgiveness and guarantees our place with Him forever.
The “I told you so” moments of Jesus in our lives today carry the same love and support. When anxiety over a difficult situation costs us sleep—and we make it through—Jesus says, “I told you I will never leave you or forsake you.” When we walk through seasons of unrest and struggle, Jesus says, “I told you I work all things together for the good of those who love me.”
Jesus told you before, and He will tell you again and again: you are important to Him, you are deeply loved by Him, and you belong to Him. The same Scriptures that told us these things would happen also remind us they are true. Read and reread God’s promises in the Bible. Remember what He told you.
Lord Jesus, thank You for keeping every promise and for fulfilling everything written to save us. When fear and uncertainty rise, help us remember Your Word and trust Your presence with us. Strengthen our hearts with Your forgiveness and peace, and lead us to encourage others with the same hope. In Your name we pray, amen.