How Soon We Forget
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Lately, my mind and heart have been heavy.
I have been wondering about God’s timing in my life.
See, I am wired to be in control of situations, to fix things when they seem to go wrong. And lately, it feels like everything is out of my control, and no matter how hard I try, I cannot seem to fix anything or stay in control.
Sometimes, I tend to forget that God has seen me through trials already, so what makes me think He won’t see me through the new set? Then God impressed on me the story of the Israelites. They were not in control of any of their situation.
They were slaves to Pharaoh, and Moses pleaded with him to let the Israelites go. But Pharaoh was hardheaded. (See Exodus 5–12.)
You would think that after seeing God lead them to safety, they would have learned to trust God more. But no, they murmured and complained every step of the way.
Even after God provided for them after each complaint, they quickly forgot and found something new to complain about.
As I reflected more and more, I realized we are not that much different from the Israelites. We complain we need a job, and when we have one, we complain about our job.
We complain we have nothing to wear, but our closet is full of clothes to choose from. Grumbling, whining, and thanklessness are ultimately the heart’s responses, not to circumstances but to God. The Israelites’ complaining was rooted not in their scenery but in their hearts.
The same is true for us. A heart of gratitude and thankfulness does not depend on our situation. Spiritual amnesia is a deadly disease that threatens our faith and our joy more than any cancer. It penetrates to the core and rots our hearts from within.
How can we guard ourselves against this spiritual forgetfulness? By remembering. Remember God’s gracious deliverance and redemption.
Establish it in our memory. Memorialize it.
Do whatever we have to in order to remember where and how God brought us through. Take a moment and look back on God’s fingerprints all over your life.
And while nothing may change in our lives the way we want it to, let the remembering awaken our joy in God and a deep sense of gratitude for His love.
He knows us, and He will keep us.
Naudina Punch
