Anglican Morning Devotion, 21 October 2021 Anno Domini
A ministry of the Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide
“I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. 26Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified. 27Thy first father (Adam) hath sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me. (ISAIAH 43:25-26; all scripture quoted is from the King James Version)
I must admit, as I was researching this subject, I found so many biblical references to ‘forgetfulness’ and ‘remembrance’ that I almost considered the challenge too daunting for a short devotion.
Remembrance and forgetting are two terms diametrically opposed one to the other. One (Remembrance) suggest volition and the other (forgetfulness) weakness of recall. But I can assure you that remembrance of those things that are considered of priority interest to our well-being will definitely be remembered. We do not forget to eat, sleep, go to work or school, see a doctor when in pain, or a hundred other things that are common to the human existence; yet, the most important consideration of life – the security of our eternal souls – is often forgotten. Forgetting such an important concern is voluntary. How so? Think of the most important thing in the world to you at this moment – can you forget it? Not likely, but you will allow your mind to forget that other most important thing of all eternity. Forgetting follows complacency and results, too, from something being crowded out in our thinking by some other object often more worldly.
God NEVER forgets, but He has promised to ‘not remember’ our sins. He does that out of a willing mercy toward us. “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” (Hebrews 8:12)
Forgetfulness results in ungodliness. When we forget the Lord our Maker, our lives are drawn into a mundane existence that does not glorify God. Remembering requires a conscious effort on the part of the thinker. “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;” (Ecclesiastes 12:1) God says ‘REMEMBER’ because our memories are something that e can have control over – especially something of paramount importance. In the vigor of youth, many things appeal to our interest – entertainment, partying, new things, sex, etc. These will tend to crowd out our memory of the God who made us. In our youth, we may feel that we will live forever. But the day comes when we must wonder where all those years went.
“In the day when the keepers of the house (hands) shall tremble, and the strong men (legs) shall bow themselves, and the grinders (teeth) cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows (eyes) be darkened, 4And the doors (ears) shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick (again, hearing) shall be brought low; 5Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high (fear of stairs) , and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree (grey hair) shall flourish, and the grasshopper (smallest thing) shall be a burden, and desire (youthful pleasures) shall fail: because man goeth to his long home (the grave six feet long and three feet wide), and the mourners go about the streets: 6Or ever the silver cord be loosed (either the marriage necklace or the spinal cord that signals motion), or the golden bowl be broken (brain and nervous system), or the pitcher be broken at the fountain (arteries and veins), or the wheel broken (heart) at the cistern. 7Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” (Ecclesiastes 12:3-7)
God knows that our memories require focus and concentration. He always warns us to ‘remember Him, remember His Law, etc. If it were impossible to obey, God would not so command us. If our souls are a priority under God, we will NOT forget to harbor them in the security of the Ark of God – our Lord Jesus Christ.
Remembering our Maker is not an infrequent, or even weekly endeavor – we remember Him during all of our waking hours, every day, every hour, every minute. We remember Him during the night watches as well as the routine activities of the light of day. David was in the wilderness being sought out to be destroyed. Every living moment depended upon the grace of God (just so with us whether we know it or not). David kept the Lord in continual remembrance as His High Tower, Defender, and Friend:
“O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 2To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the
sanctuary. 0Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.” (Psalms 63:1-3)
