PSALM 106

We have sinned with our fathers, We have committed iniquity, We have done wickedly. 7 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. 8 Nevertheless He saved them for His name’s sake, That He might make His mighty power known. 9 He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it dried up; So He led them through the depths, As through the wilderness. 10 He saved them from the hand of him who hated [them], And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. 11 The waters covered their enemies; There was not one of them left. 12 Then they believed His words; They sang His praise. 13 They soon forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel,

PSALM 106:6-13

THE SIN OF FORGETFULNESS

I am delighted to post on facebook each Sunday evening about our worship experience at church. I generally look back at the day and share a few of the many things I am grateful for. To be honest, some Sundays are tough. Many are filled with stress and anxiety of trying to communicate with so many people both corporately and individually. If I wanted to complain, Sundays provides no shortage of opportunities to commiserate about the problems I perceive. But I believe Sunday and the worship of the LORD serves a greater purpose than dwelling on our problems, it is a day to reflect on the goodness and grace of God. It’s a day for praise! So I post what I am grateful about in the gathering of the saints each Lord’s day. I do it for my own heart as well as to disciple those who are prone to pessimism.

Some have confused this with boasting, if it is, it’s certainly in the Lord (Jeremiah 9:23-24, 1 Corinthians 1:31) and not in what I’m doing! The practice has been so good for my heart and my relationship with the Lord. I lament for those who I sincerely believe belong to the Lord, but are critical of me for doing what the Lord has commanded us all to do: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord [is] at hand. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things [are] noble, whatever things [are] just, whatever things [are] pure, whatever things [are] lovely, whatever things [are] of good report, if [there is] any virtue and if [there is] anything praiseworthy–meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:4-8).

Today as I read through this Psalm I was aware of just how bad an attitude of ingratitude can be. When we forget what the Lord has done, we stop looking for Him to work in our lives and trusting him for the future. Ingratitude is a sin and here it is noted as forgetfulness. Not the kind for forgetfulness that happens with age or as a side effect of taking medications, but the intentional dismissal of how God has moved in the past.

How terrible it is to forget the deeds of the Lord for then we enter into lives challenges filled with anxiety and depression. We face obstacles ahead of us forgetting how the Lord has conquered the challenges behind us. We turn in on ourselves and fail to look forward in faith. Not only do we sin against God by forgetting His deeds and being ungrateful, but we heap anxiety and fear into our lives like never before.

There is a reason that praise is a remedy for our fears. There is a reason that David’s melody soothed a troubled kings heart. It is right and good to praise God and be grateful for what he has already done so that we can rightfully trust Him and rejoice in what He will do. Every problem before us becomes a platform for Praise. Praise God for those people he puts in our lives who have come along with the Word, not to teach us something we have never heard before, but to REMEMBER the Lord!

PRAYER

Father, I am grateful for your word. I am grateful for the psalms that teach us to cry out to you in the good times and bad, the happy and sad times of life. I am grateful for how I have seen you move in my own life. I cherish the opportunity to remember your testimonies and how you have delivered me from my sins. I am grateful to see your hand at work every day in my life. I pray that I would never lose sight of my purpose for all the problems I face. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

I’m reading and blogging the Psalms Through The Summer. I’d love for you to join me. You can find out a little more here.