Apr
28
2012
Forgetfulness
Posted in Prayer 3 Comments
Do you ever think about all the things you have to remember on any given day?
To do lists…scheduled meetings…homework assignments…dentist appointments…
The list is endless.
Feelings can get terribly hurt when birthdays and anniversaries are not remembered.
To help us remember we have our planner, our BlackBerry, iPhone, iPad.
I am the post-it queen!
That system works best for me.
There is one cabinet in my kitchen that will inevitably have post-it notes on it with the things I have to do that day.
While I was pondering this, I came upon a verse in my quiet time that showed me that forgetfulness is something God does not appreciate in us either.
When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land He has given you! Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe His commands, His laws and His decrees that I am giving you today. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God…(Deuteronomy 8:10-14)
God knew that forgetfulness would be a problem for us.
We come to Him in prayer with our problems and our needs.
He wants to hear the cries of His children.
If His answer is “no” or “not now”, we complain about how unfair it all is.
But when He answers “yes” to our need, or He resolves the problem that we brought to Him, we walk away and forget Him.
There is no attitude of gratitude.
We take the credit for the resolution.
We are proud that we pulled up our boot straps and accomplished the impossible.
Jesus dealt firsthand with forgetful people.
Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As He was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met Him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When He saw them, He said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. (Luke 17:11-14)
Only one of the ten men who were cleansed came back to thank Jesus.
Only one remembered what he once was.
Had the other nine forgotten their pitiful state before they met Jesus on the road?
Jesus told the grateful man that his faith had made him well.
Have we forgotten what we once were?
We were once as leprous as the ten men.
We were covered in our sin.
We were outcasts who needed the healing touch of the Lord to cleanse us.
In His compassion, He saw us. He called us.
Do we remember what He has done for us?
Are we like the one…or are we more like the nine?
Do we walk away thinking that we deserved His goodness and mercy?
How dare we think that anything we have, or anything we are, is because of us.
We are proud of the things we have nothing to do with.
Our home, food, clothes, the work to do, the people we love…are all blessings from His Hand. We did nothing to deserve them.
He, in His unfathomable grace and mercy, provided them for us.
Dependency is not something that is admired in our culture.
We are self made men and women…or so we think.
Are we?
Do we realize how terribly vulnerable and fragile we really are?
Do we realize how very desperately we need Him?
One of my daughters went to Africa on a mission trip when she was in college.
She came home and told about her experience there and all the things God had done.
I will never forget one thing she said.
Mom, I could not believe the way the people prayed. They thanked God for everything…the food in their cupboards…that they could walk…they thanked Him for the sunrise…that they were in their right mind…everything!
Mom…they had nothing…but they were so thankful!
Is that the key?
Have we forgotten Him because we have so much and think we don’t need Him?
When we hit a brick wall, and have a problem, we run to God to fix it.
When He graciously does, we forget to thank Him.
We bring a sense of entitlement to our plea.
In reality, we deserve nothing but death, because of our sin.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
When we have confessed our sin, repented, and turned back to the Lord, He forgives us.
As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
(Psalm 103:12)
I am so thankful He does!
Perhaps we should tie a string around our finger, make a note on our planner, stick a post-it note on the kitchen cabinet…DON’T FORGET TO THANK GOD TODAY!
Thank you Gina
Gina, I love this….it is exactly what God is teaching me at this time in my life – be thankful, always! Forgive me for not calling yet…hope to catch up with you this week.
Diane,
He seems to be teaching a lot of us the same thing!
I look forward to talking with you next week so we can finally catch up on our lives.
Gina