“Can those in the grave declare Your unfailing love? Can they proclaim Your faithfulness in the place of destruction? Can the darkness speak of Your wonderful deeds? Can anyone in the land of forgetfulness talk about Your righteousness?” (Psalm 88:11-12 NLT)
The term translated “forgetfulness” in the above verse can also be translated “oblivion” and often refers to those in shock, grief, or states of concern that block their remembrance of or attention to the presence and power of God. Tragic circumstances can fill our hearts and minds with darkness that overshadow the light of God’s loving concern.
It’s like God has no place in our thoughts; He’s been pushed to the outer edges of our considerations. Satan fills our minds with so many negative scenarios the Lord has no room, and we have no conscious desire to reach out to Him. When this happens, it opens our lives to many unpleasant and spiritually defiling options.
Without the active presence of the living God guiding our thoughts and actions, we can make decisions that have long-term negative effects. And please don’t misunderstand, it’s not that the Spirit leaves us, it’s only that our pain, activated and elevated by our negative circumstances, redirects our attention to place more credence in MORE bad happening than any consideration of good that can come from the bad. It’s a normal human response.
Deitrich Bonhoeffer reminds us: “Satan does not fill us with hatred of God, but with forgetfulness of God.” Thoughts are choices and while many things enter our mind, ultimately, we choose that upon which we’ll think, ponder, or consider. The Psalmist in Psalm 139 invites the Lord to search his thoughts and to know his heart. What’s the implication? The Lord will not invade our heart and mind forcing us to have Him evaluate our thoughts.
If we want the Lord to guide our thoughts, we must ask Him. He’s a gentleman and, unlike Satan, will not seek to persuade us to think His thoughts or even walk in His ways. Yes, of course, He’s given us His Word and His Holy Spirit will lead us and teach us upon our request, but He will never violate our will to get us to do what He wants.
The term “remember” is used 144 times in the KJV of the Bible, often reminding us to remember something significant the Lord has done on our behalf. That’s a major purpose of the Lord’s Supper, Holy Communion, to remind us of the sacrifice of our Savior and to cause us to pause to ponder the richness of His love that has been released into our lives as a result of what He did for us on the Cross.
Yes, of course, it’s easy in the face of unexpected events to forget things, but as followers of the Lord Jesus, we must train our heart and mind to never, not for one second, ever, forget Who is Lord, Who loves us, Who is ALWAYS with us, and Who WILL NEVER LEAVE US!
If these are troubling days for you, please know you are not alone. I understand what it means to feel alone, but I also know how it feels when the Lord makes Himself known and gives assurance of His presence with and for us. While I don’t know many of you personally who read these words, I do pray for you and am believing the Lord’s presence to strengthen and sustain you.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 