Read: 1 Samuel 12
But they forgot the Lord. 1 Samuel 12:9a
We don’t like to admit it, but we get scared sometimes. We worry that life, or the challenges life presents us, will overwhelm us, undo us, or even worse, humiliate us. We worry we won’t have all we need to survive. We become anxious that somehow we will fail to provide for our loved ones in ways in which they have grown accustomed. While things seem to be going well at the moment, we are aware that fortunes can change in an instant…and that reality keeps us awake at night.
Throughout the biblical narrative, the Israelites’ greatest failing was their forgetfulness. They had forgotten how God had delivered them from slavery in Egypt. They had forgotten how God had provided them food and water in the desert. They had forgotten how God had led them—and given them—a land flowing with milk and honey. When faced with a new challenge, they would panic as if God would somehow stop providing for them.
When we get scared, forgetfulness becomes our greatest enemy. The cure for fear is remembrance. The next time anxiety begins to take hold of your life, start remembering all the many times God has come to your rescue in the past. Remember. God will not forget you, and God will not forsake you.
Take a moment to think about a time when you thought you were done for, but God rescued you.
Lord God, forgive me my forgetfulness. Create in me a remembering and trusting spirit. Help me to cling to the truth that while I am prone to forget, You always remember. You remember me and love me for eternity, and I will endeavor to always remember to thank You. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. AMEN.