Never Forget

I don’t know about you, but it always seems that it’s easier to spend time with God when life is hard. It feels instinctual to cling to my Heavenly Father when I’m in pain and seek relief in His arms. It’s in the easy seasons, where life is beautiful, that I tend to coast spiritually. When I’m not in desperate need of God to move in a situation, it can often take discipline to stay connected to Him. It takes intentionality to be as desperate for God when we are walking in our answered prayers as we are when we are praying for Him to intercede for us.

We see in the Old Testament that the Isrealites were like that too. They would cry out to God when their backs were in a corner, but found it difficult to stay close to Him when life was flourishing. In Deuteronomy 8, we see that Moses is encouraging the Israelites by telling them that they will enter into a land full of God’s provision, but they must not forget God and who He is. He calls them to cry out in thanksgiving and praise and also obey His commandments, even in the land of plenty.

Take a moment to read Deuteronomy 8:8-14. 

How do we do this? How do we remember all the wonderful things God has done for us and keep our eyes fixed on Him, even if it feels like we have everything together on our own? As I have been meditating on this personally, there are two things I have gleaned from Moses’ direction to the Israelites.

1. “When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.” 

I love how Moses immediately directs them to praise God. Worship is so crucial to keeping our eyes fixed on God, our Father. We are proclaiming with our voice the faithfulness of God.


ACTIVATION: If you are having a hard time connecting with God is this season you are in, take some time to worship on your own. That might look like singing from your heart or singing along with a worship song from YouTube. Take some time in worship to reflect on God’s goodness.

2. “...do not forget the Lord your God…” 

After reading this passage, the phrase that kept leaping off the page was “do not forget.” It’s so simple and yet so hard. We cry out to God in need of deliverance, God answers our prayers, then we say thank you and move on. What would happen in our lives if we frequently reflected on all that God had done? How much more in awe would we be of Him if we constantly remembered the million things He has done for us? 

ACTIVATION: Take a moment to repent for the moves of God in your life that you have forgotten. Ask Holy Spirit to remind you of those times in your life where God provided. I want to encourage you to share that memory with a loved one or write it down. Find a way to remember what God has done for you. It is those memories that we can cling to when we need faith or when we think we have it all together. 

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