Lest I Forget

As we grow older, forgetfulness somehow happens to us all. And while our occasional lapses of memory may be amusing or annoying (a senior moment!), a lack of memory toward God can be spiritually disastrous.

As the Israelites were getting ready to enter the Promised Land, Moses challenged them to “remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness” (Deuteronomy 8:2) and to “beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments” (Deuteronomy 8:11).

Our forgetting God can result from:

1) Testing (Deuteronomy 8:2-4) — God allowed His people to feel hunger pangs, so they would fully understand Who was providing food for them. When we lack the necessities of life, it’s easy to feel that God has somehow forgotten us (cf. Proverbs 30:7-9).

2) Satisfaction (Deuteronomy 8:10-11) — Abundance or need may produce spiritual amnesia because both cause us to focus on ourselves, not on God who provides.

3) Pride (Deuteronomy 8:12-16) — If prosperity brings a feeling of self-accomplishment, then we have forgotten God.

Putting on the characteristics of humility, obedience, and thankfulness, help us to remember God’s faithful provision and care. Let us not forget to thank the Lord today (and every day), remembering all the physical and spiritual blessings that He has provided for each one of us (Psalm 68:19; Psalm 103:2; Psalm 116:12), lest we forget Him and perish (Deuteronomy 8:20).

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets