Don’t remember what God forgets

In the Bible, King David wrote:

Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Psalm 32:5

To acknowledge and confess means to agree with God. It is a way of saying that His perspective on the world, on morality, and even on our own lives, is the proper framework. More than that, it is to admit that our desire to do things independently of Him is destructive. And when we agree with God on that, God forgives!

Even more radical than that, when God forgives, God forgets. It is not that He literally has no recollection, but He no longer acts as if it has any bearing on our relationship with Him.

One of my favorite authors, Jill Briscoe, describes a situation where she was worried about something she had done. As she prayed, she said, “Lord, you remember that awful thing I did…”

She sensed God reply this way: “No I don’t remember, Jill. If you want to remember what I forgot that’s your privilege. But I would suggest that you learn to forget what I have forgotten.”

Celebrate forgiveness! Release guilt! Embrace life! Don’t remember what God forgets.


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Hit the Pause Button

In your anger do not sin… Psalm 4:4

I recently read a very relatable story. Author Kem Meyer tells of a friend who arrived at his church just before the service began. He sat down behind a family he didn’t recognize. As he waited for the service to begin, he noticed that their teenage son was playing on his Gameboy.

As the service started this guy was irritated that the boy continued to play his game. The longer the service went on, the more agitated he became. It was on mute, but still distracting. Finally, he started to lean forward to ask the boy to put the game away, when something caused him to stop. It was just a split second.

As he leaned forward again, he tapped the boy on the shoulder and said, “Hey, you know what? I’ve got a guide with all the moves to beat that game, if you want it.”

It was as if he had this In-your-anger-do-not-sin moment. God always gives us that moment.

As it turns out, that teenage boy in front him was autistic. And because of their son’s inability to sit still, his family hadn’t been able to attend church for years. They had been asked to leave public places numerous times because of the boy’s erratic behavior.

God always gives us that moment – that split-second between anger and sin. It’s easy to blow right through it – so easy to run that stop sign.

But if we can learn to recognize it, and respond well to it, it would make a huge difference in your relationships.

God always gives us that moment.

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Real Rest

How do you sleep at night? In the Bible, David reveals his secret:

I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.
Psalm 3:5

David wrote this at a troubling time in his life. And like us, it would have been easy for anxiety to rob his sleep. How easily we obsess over our concerns, playing out all the “what ifs” of life. But real rest only happens as we recognize God’s sustaining power, and as we release control to Him.

I’ve learned this the hard way. I have trouble relaxing when my teenage kids are driving. If I’m in the passenger seat, my jaws clench. I try to steer by leaning one direction or another. I hit the imaginary brakes on the floor in front of me.

This past week we were driving home from a family trip. It was close to midnight, and I was getting drowsy. Since my wife was already sawing logs in the back seat, I ask my son if he wanted to drive. He conceded. But guess what? As soon as we swapped places, I was suddenly wide awake!

After several directional comments and coaching from the passenger seat, my son said something very important. He said, “I took the steering wheel, so that you could sleep.”

God says that to us all the time.

What a relief to know, that when it comes to our lives, there is someone far more capable, with a much higher vantage point, behind the wheel.

I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.
Psalm 3:5

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