Psalm 106:7 (NKJV) – Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; They did not remember the multitude of Your mercies, but rebelled by the sea—the Red Sea.
The psalmist in the above verse is confessing the sin of the entire Israelite nation.
The Lord had brought His people out of Egypt with many signs and wonders. From the many plagues to the parting of the Red Sea, the Lord had rescued, protected, and taken care of His people. And the response to such amazing love and deliverance would be to give Him all of their love, praise, trust and obedience.
But the sin of the Israelite people was that they did not understand or appreciate the miracles that the Lord had done on their behalf. They did not remember the multitude of His mercies. They forgot. They forgot the Lord’s deliverance and mercy. And when they forgot, they did not respond in faith, but rather with bitterness and complaints. And that the Bible says is rebellion.
Does it really matter what we remember?
O yes, it does. What we choose to remember and focus on, to a large extent defines who we are and how we respond to life. When we choose to remember God’s goodness and faithfulness, our natural response would be to love and serve Him with all our hearts.
The Bible gives us many reasons why it is important that we must choose to remember. Remembering
- our past mistakes check us from making new ones (Deuteronomy 9:7)
- brings repentance, as it did for Peter (Matthew 26:75)
- keeps us from fear (Deuteronomy 7:18)
- keeps us humble (Deuteronomy 8:18)
- should cause us to pray, as it did Paul (2 Timothy 1:3)
- helps us pass on the legacy of our faith (Deuteronomy 6:7)
Every one of us has experienced God’s goodness and faithfulness in our lives. We have and continue to experience His love and providence each day, in the small and big things of life. The question is, do we choose to remember?
If we were to pause and check, what are some things that we tend to remember? Does what we remember cause us to praise, love, and humbly serve the Lord more each day?
Lord help me to remember your goodness and faithfulness with a thankful heart each day, I pray.