Don't Forget!

Are you forgetful? Most times it won’t cost you and you will find what you lost later. When it has capacity to cost you is when you forget something significant in a relationship. A wedding anniversary, birthday, an important date in that person’s life. The time when it costs us most though is probably something that would occur to us least that we are even forgetful. We are probably most forgetful about our relationship with Jesus. Psalm 32 reminds us of why this kind of forgetfulness may be particularly damaging.

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

These truths are designed to liberate us ye our spiritual amnesiac tendencies relegate them in our lives. In this Psalm David issues a deeper resolve to his own heart which we would do well to emulate.

I will not forget that holiness produces happiness (1-2)We are so busy looking for the perfect life that we miss the benefit of Jesus perfect life. No-one and nothing can EVER remove that blessing which we receive through Jesus death on a cross, in our place, for our sins. Nowhere in God’s Word does it point you two the idea that you can have it both ways: you cannot have what sin desires and what the Saviour died to give. The greed of sin and the glory of the saviour are mutually exclusive. Happiness comes from being made holy by Jesus.

I will not be fooled into imagining that sin satisfies (3-4) Don’t forget the story of your salvation. Think about what you were/are without Jesus. Your Jesus story is designed to be joyfully strengthening. Retell it to yourself so as to be reminded by it and reinforced by it. In verse 4 David remembers what happens when He forgot or lost sight of that and talks about when he neglected and cut off contact with God:

For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.

Do you see the outcome? It is draining, deep, distressing and dependable. How are you today? Weary? What David found in His wandering away from God is that God in His mercy will seek to wear you out as you walk away. Do you see that when the weight of the world is on your shoulders it may be the weight of the Lord’s hand searching your soul?

To that we may complain- ‘why would He do that to me?’ We are asking the wrong question, we should ask- ‘why would He still do that for me?’ You will have most peace when you are most close to the most high.

God will not let you forget and that is not something you will ever have cause to regret.