Most people I know forget things. Me, I forget where I have placed...
Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
By Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
"He Knows and Remembers"
October 28, 2017
LORD, You have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.
~ Psalm 139:1-6 (ESV)
Most people I know forget things.
Me, I forget where I have placed my car keys, glasses, wallet, watch, and anything else that isn't surgically attached, along with these lesser things:
- at airports and shopping malls, I forget where I parked my car;
- I forget if I have closed my garage door;
- I forget names, including those of my children and my dog.
On the other hand, I must confess I am an amateur compared to the family which went to the Crazy Corn Maze outside of Salt Lake City on a Monday evening. After having had a fun time, the family headed home. Nobody noticed their three-year-old child was not with them when they left; they didn't notice he wasn't there when it was bedtime, and nobody noticed overnight.
The next day the mother called police and confessed she was missing a child.
That was 12 hours after a lady had found the crying child and turned him into the Maze owners. The Maze owners went car-to-car and throughout the Maze trying to find the parents. Their job was made harder because the lad would only tell them his age and the names of his brother and his cat.
Eventually, the boy was handed over to the Department of Child and Family services.
According to the police, the child and mother live in a home with multiple families and a lot of children under the same roof. Still, even they were shocked when the boy's mother showed up with about ten children in tow. As of this writing, nobody knew if the boy was back with his family.
That story got me to thinking about the things which God remembers and those things He forgets.
I have to admit when you are speaking about the all-knowing Triune God, it is a challenge to find an example of anything which the Lord forgets. That being said, here is one which fits the bill. In Hebrews 8:12, the Lord gives this promise to His redeemed people: "For I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more."
Another way of saying it is because of the sacrifice of His Son and the redemption of our souls which Jesus has won, the Lord absolutely remembers to forget our sins and the charges which once had destined our souls for hell.
And as far as the things which the Lord remembers, that list could go on forever. The Lord never forgets His covenant which bestows salvation; He remembers who we were before we were born. He recalls the hairs on our head and He knows the secrets of our hearts. The Lord knows us and remembers us and because He does there is hope and salvation for all who are brought to faith.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, it is a sad thing that humanity so regularly forgets You and all You have done for us. Open the eyes of the world so they may see all You have done to save them. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
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