Blessed By God's "Forgetfulness"

"Today's Devotion" For February 25, 2006

Read: Hebrews 8:10-12; Micah 7:14-20

BLESSED BY GOD'S "FORGETFULNESS"

"I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more." (Isaiah 43:25)

In the lore of the jungle, the elephant is often touted as having a really long memory. The wily pachyderm is considered to have a tremendous memory because of the belief that domesticated elephants never forgot a wrong done to them or where they needed to go to die - the elephant grave yard. Thus, when my dad wanted to remind me that I couldn't "pull the wool over his eyes," he would say, "I have the memory of an elephant." I can honestly say that I was pretty certain if I ever messed up again in the same way, he'd remember the last time and remind me of it. I can say for certain that "this is most certainly true!"

We human beings have a long memory for those things which put someone else down, point out the weaknesses of others as well as their failures. Over the past week or so, as the Winter Olympics were taking place in Italy, there was a great deal of press devoted to one of the American figure skaters, Sasha Cohen, who had been finishing second for years behind Michele Kwan. Her attempts to overcome the labels of "choker" label and "isn't mentally tough enough" were well documented in both written and broadcast formats. After her short program early in the week she was in first place by three hundredths of a point and people seemed to have gained a new hope for her. Then, two days later, as she warmed up for her long program she couldn't complete a number of important jumps. When that carried over later during competition and she only attained the silver medal, the discussion of her mental toughness and being a "choker" were once again front and center. She had won an Olympic Gold Medal, but it seems that people were more interested that she'd "failed again."

In the "real" world of day to day living, long memories for the wrongs others do to us are the norm. People might be forgetful of many things, but forgetting that someone has wronged you, sinned against you, or harmed you or those you love in some way aren't included in that forgetfulness. We have long memories when people show their humanity and mess up. We have long memories about the imperfections of others - although, wouldn't you agree that it's quite interesting that we don't have the same intensity of memory about our own imperfections.

How often don't we pay lip service to forgiving someone who seeks forgiveness for something they've done to us? Instead of truly forgiving and no longer holding their sin against them, we're more than likely to forgiven conditionally - that is, we forgive them as long as they don't do it again. If God were to forgive us in the same way as we forgive others, well, we'd surely be doomed. Forgiveness also entails forgetfulness - something that's in short supply among us when it comes to the sins, failures, and imperfections of others. One of the more devastating ways we avoid forgetfulness is when we fail to accept another's repentance, thereby compounding the problem and sinning against them.

God, however, doesn't have a good memory for our sins, our failures, or our imperfections. He doesn't judge us on our failure to win Olympic gold medals or be the most influential person in our community. Our Father in heaven is eager to forgive sins and remember them no more. His Word to us through the prophets Isaiah and Micah and the writer to the Hebrews shows His eagerness to forgive our sins. His promise throughout history was that He would provide a Savior to save His people from their sins. He fulfilled that promise in the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior from Sin, Death, and Satan. God never forgets us. He is everywhere and at all times present and available for us. He gives us everything we need and "not even a sparrow falls to the ground" without His knowledge (Mt. 10:29). Yet, in His great love, grace, and mercy we are blessed by God's "forgetfulness" as, in our repentance in Jesus, He "remembers (our) sins no more."

Prayer: Father, I can't ever thank You enough for Your great mercy and grace with which You forgive my every sin and failing and see me through the blood of Christ, perfect and holy, without sin. While I fail so often to forgive as You have forgiven me, You still forgive me and remember my sins no more. You, gracious Father, are so perfectly forgetful of my sins through my Lord Jesus Christ, while I, on the other hand, find it most difficult to be forgetful as others seek my forgiveness when they've wronged me. You, gracious Father, are so perfectly forgetful of my imperfection through Christ Jesus my Lord, while I, on the other hand find it easy to dwell on the failures of others. Father, forgive me of these my failures to love my neighbor as myself. In my failure to love others as I do myself, I also sin against You because in failing to love my neighbor, I fail to love You. Forgive me of all these my sins, O God, and strengthen me in my faith that I may also forgive others as You have forgiven me - remembering my transgressions no more. In Jesus' precious name I pray. Amen.
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--Pastor Boeck

Copyright © 2006 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.