The Danger of Forgetting God

 

The Danger of Forgetting God

By Liz King

    Today I was reading Psalms 78 and it is about the Israelites constant abandonment of God.  It is about his kindness and forgiveness.  One thing as I was reading that stuck out to me was the Israelites wanted their way and that caused them to forget God.  In verse 10-11 it talks about how they refused to walk in his law, and they forgot His works and wonders He had shown them.  How many times do we do that as Christians?  We forget where he has brought us from, prayers he has answered, miracles he's done in our lives.  I have done that many times.  God healed my son of Cystic Fibrosis as a baby and many times I think well, maybe all those separate tests were wrong but yet I know they weren’t . I have seen him restore my life but then sometimes I think well maybe it's just chance, but I know it wasn’t.  That is dangerous to forget the mercy and greatness our God has shown us in our lives.  We can easily become blinded to the reality and power of God if we seek to question or reason the authority of God in our lives.  It is also dangerous to begin demanding God do things in our way instead of his.  We can become selfish and demanding.  Sometimes God can be merciful to remind us who he is but we have to remember, His ways our not our ways.  

    In verse 16 it says, "They tested God in their hearts by asking for food of their fancy."  How many times do we do that?  The Israelites didn't want what God wanted, they weren’t grateful, they wanted what pleased them.  He had the promise land to give them but all they could focus on and whine about was about what they wanted.  Many of us, me included, sometimes become selfish and very me centered, not God centered.  God's plan is always better. Sometimes it may not be what we like, but he's got something better. It might not be the comfortable path but maybe he's preparing you and growing you for what he's got planned. He knows your destination and purpose.  Bad things happen in life but if we can trust God in our heart, He will give us what he fancies, and it will be so much better. 

    In verses 21-25 it says that his anger was kindled and came up against Israel because they did not believe in God and did not trust him.  But God...... I love that phrase!   But God in all his mercy gave them manna from heaven.  It was the food of angels.  How cool is that?!!  God gets angry when we do not believe or trust him after he has done all the things, he has done for us, but he still loves us and is merciful.  He will still show his love but sometimes it's not the way we want it.  Like any good parent who disciplines their child when they are disobedient, He too disciplines us.  Just because things are not going the way we want them to be doesn't mean its meaningless.  It means he is doing something bigger in you, if you let him.

    In spite of everything God did for the Israelites they still sinned and did not believe in His wonderous works.  I used to think as a kid the Israelites were stupid.  If I had walked through a parted sea on dry land, or saw a pillar of fire come down, or seen all the plagues of Egypt, I would never forget!!  How wrong I was.  As an adult sometimes I became like the Israelites, forgetting everything God had done in my life.  What happened when the Israelites forgot God?  They wandered in the desert for 40 years.  Anyone over the age of 20, who questioned God in giving them the promise land, did not get to see the promise land.  They died in the desert, in the wilderness.  We cannot survive the wilderness in life when we forget God.  The Israelites forgot God immediately after Egypt.  They Saw God's presence on the top of Mount Siani and Moses had been gone for 40 days and they just turned and began worshipping a Golden calf!! God's presence was in their view, but they still turned from him and forgot him!!!  I think about how many people struggle with depression and hopelessness, but God is showing his presence to them constantly, but they have forgotten and not believed his promises in their heart. The enemies lies can sometimes be louder than God’s voice and we chose not to listen to the still small voice. The enemy has to scream because they know what happens when you don’t forget God. They get defeated and you fulfill your purpose.

    The Israelites only returned to God when trouble and trial came.  How many times do we only return to God when a tragedy happens, or we need a job, or about to lose everything? God sometimes gives us what we need but then we thank him for a couple of months, get back into praying or church and when everything gets better, we become lazy, selfish, and we forget him?  We see him as a God of convenience, not the God of our lives and the universe.   Why do we blame God for when things don't go our way? When did God become a genie?  We were created for him, it's not the other way around.  He is a relationship that he HAS to be the head of.  Being close to him helps us to deal better when battles happen.  In a military unit there is a chain of command.  There are times when war is evident but that's when you stick close to the chain of command and follow the directions of the commander so the mission will be successful with as little casualty as possible.  When you separate from your unit, you then become a target, and no one is there to get your back when an attack happens. Same it is when we forget God and think that we know best and desire our wants and needs, instead of his. Our hearts have to stay steadfast to him.  He is our commander and our protection.  He wants to guide us to victory. 

    Psalms 78:39 says, "We are but flesh, a breath that passes away and does not come again."  We only get ONE life.  So, if you believe in reincarnation, I'm sorry, you don't get another chance.  This is the life that counts and who you believe that makes this life count, because it is headed for one of two places in eternity.  There are only so many times as a parent you can protect your child.  Sooner or later you let your child go to learn a very hard lesson, because they refuse to listen and think they know what is best. So, you let go hesitantly. You know it will hurt and you will be there when they come running asking for forgiveness, or saying you were right.  You didn't want them to learn that way, you wanted them to listen.  That's what happens when you forget God.  You lead yourself into dangers and some are not pretty and have very dangerous and brutal consequences both spiritually and physically.  Sometimes you forgetting God causes collateral damage to those around you.  Divorce or cheating affect not only the spouse but the children.  That hurt can last a lifetime and also cause them to follow in the same destructive patterns.  Unholy sexual unions hurt not only you, but also the other person because you spiritually become one with that person and not guarding your sexual purity causes your soul to be very fractured and joined with many people.  Let’s not forget the children that come from some of those unions.   Just like you only have one life your purity is something you can only give away once!  Alcoholism and drug abuse not only affect the body, but it affects the relationships around you.  Physical and verbal abuse can affect the child or partner for life.  It can destroy them.  It usually sends the victim into destructive patterns.  So, when you think your disobedience from God is not dangerous and doesn't affect others take a look at those around you. Examine your relationships.  When we forget God, we become very selfish and short sited. Just like the Israelites, every time one or several people forgot God and pursued their desires or wants, the family or whole tribe, or nation suffered. Just like America right now and it’s disobedience and forgetting God and God’s law is leading America to inevitable destruction. Obedience of God means you have an unearthly protection!  If you think of when you throw a rock in the water, ripples appear and affect the water around them, so does your life.  So, do want those ripples to have a positive Godly effect on others or a selfish dangerous affect?

    Towards the end of Psalms 78 Gods love and mercy is again spoken of.  It refers to God as the shepherd and the Israelites as sheep.  He was trying to lead them to where there was plenty, but their disobedience hindered what God wanted to give them and some didn't even get to see the blessing.  Even Moses did not get to go into the promise land because of his anger and disobedience, but unlike the others God let him see it before he died. God kept his covenant with Israel, with David, and Abraham.  That covenant produced the spotless lamb for our sacrifice, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh!!! That covenant is now passed to those who believe, jew and gentile.  We as gentiles get to share in the inheritance of Abraham.  That is an inheritance I do not wish to miss!  So, I hope you see in this the danger of forgetting God.  It is all throughout the bible.  God is good and God is just.  We are neither good nor just. I urge others to always stay steadfast in your relationship and your heart with God. Do not forget him!  Do not let your heart become hardened because things don't work out your way, because he has an entire book written for you and your life in heaven that he wants you to fulfill, when you follow him.  If he is the author of creation, our books must be pretty awesome.