Whilst we must often consciously and deliberately choose to forget the wrongs done to us, we must also consciously and deliberately choose to remember all God has done for us. Eugene Peterson says, ‘forgetfulness atrophies the muscles of faith and leaves them flabby and passive. Remembrance internalises a history of grace and strengthens praise into blessing, so that we act in a renewing way in our environment.’
Remembering means bringing to mind, choosing to dwell on those memories of God’s actions and character, focussing our attention on God. God’s people are consistently urged to remember what God has done (see Deut 8:2,18; Deut 15:15, Job 36:24, Ps 22:27, Ps 42:4,6). This is easy to do at certain times of celebration, but needs to be done on a daily basis if we are to avoid falling into the trap of forgetfulness and therefore indifference to God which easily leads to a complaining attitude.
Today’s challenge is to focus on something positive that God has done for you! He loves you. He provides for you. He guides you. He gives you breath to breathe. He surrounds you with mercy and grace. We need to be as concerned for our spiritual muscles as we are for our physical bodies. We all need remembrance workouts!
