2007-03-21 - Forgetting God

Psalm 88:12, "Will Thy wonders be made known in the darkness? And Thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

America has been called the "land of forgetfulness." Actually, I don't know if it has or not, but now that I said it, it has. We are a people that are not mindful of the mercies of God to us in the past. We don't know the sacred history of our nation well at all. Our political history we might know something about, but rarely do we learn about the religious history of our nation. We forget the great works of God in our land. It is a shame to us that it is true, but that is not what I have in mind to write on today. I believe that we as a people forget God ourselves. I know not everyone can be lumped into this category, but this category certainly transcends those in America and is just as true of those who read these devotionals in Ireland, Egypt, Australia, and China.

It is true that we are prone to forget God. When you are in a crowd you are aware of the many people that are around you, but understand that God is there also. When you are alone, it is also a reality that you are not alone. God is there with you. Forgetting God is a common sin. Even a pious believer must confess that he/she does not always have God in his/her thoughts. None of us are innocent of this painful reality. The Lord upholds the stars of heaven, maintains the necessary chemical elements, at their proper levels, in the air we breathe, and sends us daily mercies, but yet we forget Him to our shame. Christians or non-Christian, all are guilty of this miserable pattern.

Consider the majesty of God before whom the angels veil their faces. Are we sufficiently awed with the sense of His glory? We may offer prayers, but what kind of prayers are they? We often neglect to remember in our prayers that we are approaching the one who sits on the throne of the universe, who holds our very lives in His hands. We come before him, if we do, thinking how much of an effort it is to do this thing called prayer. We bring our lists, but withhold our praises when He hears our prayers and answers. We don't praise Him often simply for who He is. If I asked you, as an application, to take five minutes and simply praise God for His attributes, I would guess that many would find this to be a pressing and difficult task. We don't praise Him for who He is, for His grace and mercy unto us, for His perfect patience with our weaknesses, as we should. We are all too unconscious of His majesty.

Let us not be like those who forget God as their rule. Let there be a difference with us who name the name of Christ, and who say we trust in His atonement for our sin as our only hope. Let us think often of God, and may such thoughts bring us joy, comfort, and peace.

Soli Deo Gloria,
T-

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