Will We Never Forget?

 "The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like the flower of a field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more." Psalm 103:15-16

    "Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day?" - Alan Jackson

    At a classic car show proudly stood a work of art. A pick-up truck, custom-painted on all sides with various patriotic scenes, drew the attention of many. The Statue of Liberty held her torch on the tailgate as the black smoke of the Twin Towers scarred the blue sky. Above was this sober reminder: We Will Never Forget!

    Indeed, anyone over the age of thirty can recall exactly where they were and what they were doing on that September day.

    Memory can be selective though. How many of us can recall a hurtful comment spoken years ago, yet have trouble remembering what was received on Christmas last year?

    We tend to be forgetful, which is why God established festivals, dates of remembrance, or memorials, such as the twelve stones that were brought up out of the Jordan River. They were put down in a prominent place within the camp of the Israelites so, in the future when their children inquired about them, they'd be told about the miraculous day when the Lord cut off the flow of the river so the entire nation could cross on dry ground (Joshua 4:1-7).

    But of what value are memorials if the events are not recounted honestly? Memorials can be torn down. History can be rewritten.

    Remembering an event is quite hinged on truth. How do we recall what happened? It boils down to a common phrase we hear in our culture: You have your truth, I have mine. Already it's been said children are being taught in our schools that 9/11 was America's fault. I wonder how the survivors of the deceased feel about that?

    Go back one generation to World War II. There are some who aver that the Holocaust never even happened, though I am young enough to remember hearing Corrie Ten Boom, an Auschwitz survivor, recounting those days as she traveled the world with the Billy Graham Crusades. I wonder how the survivors feel about that?

    The Christian faith rests on the foundation of the resurrection of Jesus Christ for which His disciples were martyred, yet the disbelief continues with such preposterous ideas as this, that Christ simply swooned on the cross and, though thoroughly flogged and beaten, rolled the stone away and slipped out. Jesus predicted such hard-heartedness in Luke 16:31 when He said, "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead."

    How true.

    Revert further to the very onset of time, when "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). "Created? Bah!" say the scoffers. "Don't tell me you believe in that fairy tale? I have evolved! I don't need God. I have built myself up from the sweat of my brow." I wonder how God feels about that?

    Will we truly never forget?

    Now let's take a look at God's memory. How does He remember things?

"Does a young woman forget her jewelry, a bride her wedding ornaments? Yet my people have forgotten me, days without number." Jeremiah 2:32

"Be careful not to forget the covenant of the Lord your God that he made with you: do not make for yourselves an idol..." Deuteronomy 4:23

"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has bourne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me." Isaiah 49: 15-16

    Over the generations, God has faithfully held out his hands to an obstinate people pleading for us to "Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest...You will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11:28-29) He even came down here in Person and laid down His life as a sacrifice for our sins. What more does He have to do?

    You know what God has forgotten? For those who trust in Christ...

    "I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sin no more." Isaiah 43:25

        Never forget what God has done for you, and He will forget all you have done against Him. That's mercy.

"Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits - who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion." Psalm 103:2-4

    

Where Was God When I Needed Him?

 "A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke Him and said to Him, 'Teacher, don't you care if we drown?' He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, 'Quiet! Be still!' Then the wind died down, and it was completely calm. He said to His disciples, 'Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?' They were terrified and asked each other, 'Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him!'" Mark 4: 37-41

    Recently, it felt like a furious squall, such as the disciples experienced, had broken over our home when high winds pitched the trees and lightning lit the night skies. I arose to watch the power of God on display while I prayed verses from memory for protection during the storm. 

    Fierce storms have a way of putting things into perspective, don't they?

    The metaphorical storms of life can descend upon us in various ways. The sudden death of a sibling or a dire diagnosis resemble a squall of intensity, whereas a slow erosion of a marriage is like a tropical rainy season, but any can leave us feeling swamped. We may wonder where God is in all this? Does He not care if we drown in our circumstances?

    Just as Jesus was asleep on a cushion amid the maritime travail, He is in the middle of our struggle as well. The phrase from the above passage that refreshes me is, "He got up, rebuked the wind said to the waves." Whatever is breaking over the sides of my boat is subject to the Object of the faith who created it. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him (Matthew 28:18); He is even Victor over the grave (Hosea 13:14). 

    These words from a song my pastor sings came to mind:

    So why should I worry, why should I fear

When the very same Jesus is always near?

He lives in my heart and hears when I cry;

I'll call on His name till the storm passes by.

"Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Whose hands have gathered up the wind? Who has wrapped up the waters in a cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is the name of his son? Surely you know!" Proverbs 30:4