I have lost count of how many times I have gone downstairs and then when I get there I forget what I was supposed to do! The other thing that comes racing to my mind when thinking of forgetfulness, is remembering people’s names. I do well sometimes, and really bad on others. The worst is when someone tells me we have met before and I have no memory of that. As a Pastor’s wife, it can be plain embarrassing.
I know I am not the only one with a faulty memory. I am reading through the book of Exodus now, and in Chapter 14 the Israelites had just had the Pillar of Fire and the pillar of cloud surrounding them, and they had just walked through the Red Sea on dry land! They literally saw God fight for them! You would think this experience would stay in their memory for a while. Exodus 14:31 says “And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.”
Here we see how grateful and full of praise they are toward God Almighty (as they should be). However, it does not take long for them to forget. We read in chapter 16 and by verse 24 they are grumbling because there is no water to drink. The one possible source was no good. “so they grumbled against Moses”. They were tired and thirsty, and it was easier to complain than call out to God.
You do not have to take a course on how to be a grumbler or a complainer. I know I am pretty good at it, especially when I am tired or there have just been too many disappointments. I am sure the people of Israel thought they had suffered enough at this point. They had a very tough year trying to make bricks with no straw and they had miserable cruel bosses. If they knew the word “triggering” I can imagine them using it often!
When we go through tough times, we need to remember what God has done for us in previous days. In my dining room, we have a bunch of not great photographs (not quality pictures that is), but each one is a reminder of either God’s provision or a time He intervened. Each one could be titled “He Is Faithful”. We have stood with friends, our grandkids and even our adult children, reminding them, telling the stories of cool things God has done in our life and that He is still faithful.
Today, I simply want to remind us that God is still faithful. He fights for us, He cares for us, He is not always as quick as we think He should be, but He will not forget you.
Dear Father,
Thank You for your faithfulness to me; today, I rest in this. Season after season, You do not change and I praise You. Thank You Father that You hold all the loose ends of my life in the palm of Your hand.
In Jesus Name,
Amen