A Forgotten God

In simple terms, forgetting what God has done is like carrying a picture of him around to remember what he looks like, then losing it and not even realizing that you ever had it. The Bible makes clear that we are to remember together. King Solomon identifies that part of our sinful nature is to forget, with Deuteronomy adding weight to the dangers of this spiritual amnesia with over 15 verses warning us to work against this tendency to forget. Above and beyond our own sinful nature, perhaps it is an enemy strategy to ensure we don’t grow in our knowledge of God but keep returning time after time to a blank canvas.

If when God acts, he reveals who he is, then the Devil will surely want us to forget that as soon as possible. He may do that by causing confusion at the moment of God’s intervention – did it really happen? – or the miraculous outcome may be attributed to human effort or coincidence. The poet Lord Tennyson is attributed with saying: ‘When I pray, coincidences happen, and when I don’t pray, they don’t,’ and yet we can all too easily celebrate God’s goodness in the moment of answered prayer and, within days, start to explain the outcomes away as fortuitous happenings. 

The enemy strategy is pretty simple: the more God’s deeds are forgotten, the more the revelation of him is diminished in a generation. If the battle of God acting is wrought in prayer, then the war is won or lost in its remembering. Central to our faith is the attitude of thankfulness; as we thank God, we remember who he is, transporting us into a place of worship. As the iconic writer C. S. Lewis says: 

‘Gratitude looks to the Past and love to the Present; fear, avarice, lust, and ambition look ahead.’

It is important for us all to remember his hand on our life, the Jesus stories that have brought us to this place where we currently reside.

Ideas for Reflection  

1. Take some time to reflect on your life and walk with God. Consider if there are any stories where you have forgotten to thank him.   

2. Write them down, and as you do, thank God for them.   

3. Tell a friend a story you have remembered.