Are you forgetting something? (Thought for February 2025)

Last Sunday evening Calix was expounding Nehemiah ch 4: 6-15, about the anger of the Jews’ enemies, and their threats, because of the wall reconstruction work going on round Jerusalem; and, as a result the disheartenment that was set-ting in on God’s people. Nehemiah had to stir them to not be afraid, with the words:

“Remember the Lord, who is great and awe-some . . .” It was that desperate need to ‘remember the Lord’ who had brought them through so much, delivering them from exile where they had been for around 70 years as a result of their forgetting His call on their lives and doing life their way.

This January I decided to attempt to read through the Bible from cover to cover in a year – some-thing I haven’t undertaken for a while. Following a plan, I’m reading a few chapters from the Old Testament and a chapter or several verses from the New. I’m well on in Exodus now, and it’s struck me again and again how often and how much God’s people keep forgetting, instead of remembering the Lord who has been with them throughout.

Obviously it begins with Adam & Eve doing just that, when tempted by the snake – the goodness of their Creator and his loving but clear warning (Gen 2:16-17) are thrown out of the window (or over the bush!) and forgotten.

Even Abram/Abraham had the problem, when he twice used half truths to help him through difficult times – in the first experience (Gen 12: 10-20) we don’t read of Abram even mentioning his God – he needed to remember the Lord, surely?

Isaac, his son, had a similar problem, seemingly forgetting in Gen 26: 3 that God had just promised to be with him in the land of Gerar, and so spreads a lie about his relationship with Rebekah, his wife (vs 7).

Then I got to Exodus in my daily journey and read about the terrible sufferings of the Israelites under Pharoah, and then God’s amazing act of bringing them out of captivity under the leader-ship of Moses. And what do we see almost im-mediately they are through the Red Sea and Pharoah’s army is dead at the bottom of it?

They are complaining to Moses – God is forgotten (Exod 15: 22-24). They needed to remember the Lord and trust and obey Him.

Next chapter, they’re at it again – Oh for the ’food, glorious food’ that we had in Egypt! ’pots of meat ..all the food we wanted’(16:3)’My foot!’

How they needed to remember the Lord who had done so much for them and never left them.

Nehemiah’s workers were having the same forgetfulness come over them. Don’t we, in one way or another, so often? Remembering the Lord is more than just going through the motions of worship on a Sunday; it’s fully trusting Him and living our lives in that strong trust that He is in control of everything.

Couldn’t help thinking of Colin Buchanan’s children’s song that says:

Oh, yes – we must always Remember the Lord!