I recently read these words about the Israelites’ forgetfulness:

“They tested God again and again
and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
They did not remember his power
or the day when he redeemed them from the foe,
when he performed his signs in Egypt
and his marvels in the fields of Zoan”
(Psalm 78:40-43).

God knew they would forget.

This is why he told them over and over to remember.

Remember your slavery (Deuteronomy 15:15),
remember how God delivered you from Egypt (Exodus 13:3),
remember God’s judgment on specific people who sinned (Miriam),
remember your rebellion in the wilderness,
remember the promise God gave through Moses,
remember that God is the one who gives you the power to obtain wealth.

Remember. Remember. Remember.

How quick the Israelites were to forget God’s power! If I were alive for the infestation of thousands of frogs in the beds and kitchens of my captors, I’d like to think that would make a lasting impression on me. If I were part of the crowd that saw the Red Sea miraculously parted so that I and my family could walk across, then saw my enemies drown in that very same river, I sure hope I wouldn’t wake up the next month wondering how I would get food to eat.

But how quickly we forget.

God delivers from temptation, provides for needs in amazing ways, and gives opportunities that can only come from him. And we forget.

This is why God tells believers over and over to remember.

Remember that you used to be dead and now are alive only through the power and grace of Jesus.
Remember that your salvation is all because of God’s goodness, not yours.
Remember your sin and let it lead you to repentance.
Remember the truths you’ve learned.
Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead.

Remember, remember, remember.

We need to remember.

It is our duty and privilege to remember God’s countless acts of power and grace in our lives. We need practice, don’t we? We need to practice reminding ourselves and believers around us of the many kindnesses of God in our lives. When you begin to despair, remind yourself that the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. When you feel that all hope is lost, ask another believer to pray with and for you. Ask them to remind you of the grace of God. If we want to have tender hearts that are quick to recall the goodness of Christ, then we must practice remembering his Word rather than our fears.

“We must practice remembering God’s Word
instead of our fears.”

As I wrote these thoughts, I started thinking about God’s memory.
We fail to remember God’s great power and goodness in our lives, and what does God do?

God doesn’t remember.

Oh, friends, this is beautiful. Meditate on these words from the Creator God:

“They shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.
For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more”
(Hebrews 8:10-12).

We easily forget God’s mercy to us and must work to remember.
God has every reason to remember our sin against him, but because of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, he chooses not to remember them.

Believer, the next time you are tempted to forget God’s goodness, remember that he chooses not to remember! Worship this God who has every reason to remember, but chooses instead to show mercy because of who we are in Jesus. What a Savior!