How many times do you walk into a room and forget why you went there? Or you are introducing people you have known your whole life, and you go blank on their name? Or you have something important going on in an hour or two, and in the wait time, you completely forget about it? Or you try to think of a particular word and cannot call it up when you need it? Young and old, this happens to everyone.
We forget stuff. Often, it isn’t that we actually forget, but rather we are slow to remember. Something that we tend to forget/be slow to remember when we need it the most is just how big God is and the amount of grace He has lavished on us. This forgetfulness happens when difficult things are sprung on us, although the suddenness of an overwhelming situation often prompts us to cry out to Him immediately. However, when we have been going about life smoothly and successfully for some time, we become reliant on what we consider to be “our own strength”. It is then that we are slowly wooed into the world’s attractions, and we forget God’s presence, His plan, and His will. We forget He has our best interest and outcome in mind. When we are comfortable, we forget that God is the great comforter. When we are accomplished, we forget where our talents and abilities came from. When we are satisfied, we forget who our provider is.
In Joshua 4, the Israelites are entering the Promised Land after years of desert experience. The Lord peeled back the Jordan River so that they could walk on dry ground into their new homeland. In the same way they started their desert journey, they ended it – God parted water for them. The first time, He parted the Red Sea for them to escape their enemies. Now, as they are entering the Promised Land, He rolled back the Jordan River. As if God knew their memories might be short despite experiencing this anomaly of nature, God commanded that each one of the 12 tribes take a boulder from the dry riverbed to make an altar of remembrance. This altar was to remind the Israelites and their children about this crazy demonstration of God’s power and His faithfulness. As magnificent as this river miracle was, even to many of us, it is forgotten. Many people remember the Red Sea parting, but not the Jordan River! We can forget monumental things He has done for us, too, when we are in the midst of the next flood.
Psalm 103: 1-4 “Praise the Lord, my soul, all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all His benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion”.
If
And then we will be slow to remember that
“We forget little things every day. We get frustrated, then laugh it off. But forgetfulness is not a minor thing when it comes to grace. It robs you of worship, identity, humility, courage, and hope.” New Morning Mercies P. D. Tripp 9/19
