We are a forgetful people. Not just in misplacing our car keys or missing a meeting, but in something far more serious—we are spiritually forgetful. We are quick to forget God’s presence, power, and provision in our lives and quick to turn back to sin and our old way of living. 

We see this pattern throughout Scripture. In the Garden, Eve was quick to forget God’s abundant provision as she believed the lie of the serpent over the word of God (Genesis 3). In the wilderness, the Israelites were quick to forget God’s miraculous salvation out of Egypt and instead complained of their lack (Exodus 16:3, Psalm 106). In the New Testament, Jesus’ disciples were quick to forget his power, so they feared the wind and rain (Mark 4:37-40). This pattern has a clear consequence: when God’s people forget his faithfulness, they fall into disobedience, wandering, and self-sufficiency.

We are still a forgetful people. We consistently disregard and forget God. We are quick to remember our suffering and slow to remember our Savior, quick to turn to worldly pleasures and slow to turn to our Perfect Provider, quick to forget his blessings and slow to remember his promises. In his wisdom, God knew our tendency to forget, so he graciously guides us through his Word.

What should we remember?

“Take care lest you forget the Lord your God…who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” Deuteronomy 8:11a, 14b

“But this I call to mind…the steadfast love of the Lord.” Lamentations 3:22

“Remember his marvelous works.” Psalm 105:5

When Scripture tells us to remember the Lord, it specifically emphasizes God’s works and past faithfulness. Before Christ, God’s people were called to remember His past faithfulness through the Exodus, their escape from slavery to Egypt. After Christ and his resurrection, we are called to remember his past faithfulness at the cross and our escape from slavery to sin. 

Notice when we remember God’s works, we also recall our past enslavement. We “were dead in our trespasses, but God made us alive in Christ” (Ephesians 2:1). When we see our sin rightly, we see our need for God rightly. When we see our need for God rightly, his faithfulness is all the more clear and compelling. 

So God calls us to remember himself, to recognize our sin and to recall his work of salvation on our behalf, but why does it matter if we remember God? If we are born-again Christians, and we have already been saved by grace, is forgetfulness in my day-to-day really that big of a deal?

Why should we remember? 

There are at least three possible pitfalls where forgetfulness can be troublesome to our walk with the Lord.

1. Forgetfulness can lead to disobedience.

Any time God’s people forget his faithfulness, sin lies close at hand. We see this cycle of sin most clearly in the book of Judges: God provides deliverance from Israel’s surrounding enemies, but his people soon forget his works and turn back to idolatry (Judges 3:7). God then judges Israel for their sin, but when they cry out to the Lord, he repeatedly provides deliverance because of his great faithfulness. 

I see this in my own life. When I am not seeking the Lord and letting his Word change my thoughts and heart, sin slowly creeps to the forefront. The disobedience is subtle at first: maybe a negative thought, a verbal complaint, a passive remark. But the longer I neglect having the truth of God’s character and faithfulness before me, the more I slip into sin. My flesh begins to shape me instead of the Spirit. I need the constant reminder of God’s faithfulness and grace (the Gospel) before me to protect myself from the temptations of the world.

2. Forgetfulness can lead to wandering. 

In Numbers 13-14, God’s people sent spies into Canaan to see if they could conquer the land promised to them, but the spies returned with a bad report. They let fear of their enemies dictate their actions rather than a remembrance of God’s past provision and promises. The consequence of their sin was 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. 

 Although we may never physically wander in the wilderness as a consequence of our unbelief, we know that forgetfulness makes us wander spiritually. Without a steady focus on God’s faithfulness, life’s ebbs and flows will sway us. When we don’t seek to see God rightly, we let our circumstances dictate how we spend our time, leading us to aimlessly wander in the ways of the world.

3. Forgetfulness can lead to pride.

“Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth.” Deuteronomy 8:17-18a

When we do not consistently acknowledge God’s presence in our lives, we wrongfully take credit for his provision. Reflect on your own life. How often do you thank God for providing financially for your family? How often do you praise him for the home you bought? How often do you acknowledge him in the gifts and abilities you have?

Afshin regularly reminds us that God provides both the ends and the means. Even if the means for his provision is your work ethic, the worker labors in vain if the Lord doesn’t build the house (Psalm 127:1). Therefore, even when we work to provide for our family or work to excel in our giftings, there is no room for pride because the true provider, sustainer, ordainer, and Creator is God. If you still find yourself boasting, your heart may be forgetting.

How do we remember?

The constant emphasis on remembrance throughout Scripture tells me that forgetfulness is our innate tendency. If we do not work to remember, we will naturally forget. So what can we do to remember God and his faithfulness? How can we keep ourselves from falling into forgetfulness? 

 “Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commands.” Deuteronomy 8:11 

 This verse lays it out for us: We remember God rightly by walking in faithful obedience to his commands. We do not obey to earn favor with God or become God’s people (even under the Old Covenant, God saved Israel from Egypt and chose them as his people before he gave them the law). Rather, we obey the law as an overflow of the favor we already have with God in Christ. Obedience is evidence of remembrance. And as we obey, God reminds us more and more of his character. 

 However, there is a catch! We are able to obey his commands only if we know his commands. Psalm 119:11 says, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” God graciously reveals his will to us through his written Word. So how do we remember? How do we walk in obedience? We study Scripture. We meet with the Lord daily to experience his new mercies each morning. We memorize his Word so that it is an internal reminder of his character and faithfulness. His Word is our greatest tool – a written revelation of Jesus Christ, of the Gospel, and of God’s glorious personhood that demands our allegiance. Thankfully, God does not leave us to remember, or even study his Word, in our own strength. He has provided us with his Holy Spirit, who has given us new minds in Christ and works within us to recall the promises of God! He also provides us with the body of Christ that ministers to us when we struggle to remember. 

 When we see God for who he really is, the only proper response is worship, obedience, and joyful submission to his will. Obedience is both the evidence of our remembrance and the fuel for our remembrance. So today, take care lest you forget the Lord. Take care to walk in obedience by opening his Word and recalling his works from of old. Take care to focus your heart and mind on the God who saves. His mercies are new every morning, great is his faithfulness (Lamentations 3:23)!