People Forget

We're glad you could join us for another daily encouragement from the Our Daily Bread devotional. Cindy Hess Casper wrote today's reading, and it's titled, People Forget. A woman complained to her pastor that she'd noticed a lot of repetition in his sermons.

Why do you do that? she queried. The preacher replied, People forget. There are lots of reasons we forget.

The passage of time, growing older, or just being too busy. We forget passwords, names of people, or even where we parked our car. My husband says, There's only so much I can fit in my brain, I have to delete something before I can remember something new. The preacher was right. People forget. So we often need reminders to help us remember what God has done for us. The Israelites had a similar tendency. Even with the many miracles they'd seen, they still needed to be reminded of his care for them. In Deuteronomy 8, God reminded the Israelites that he'd allowed them to experience hunger in the wilderness, but then provided an amazing superfood for them every day, manna. He supplied clothing that never wore out.

He led them through a wilderness of snakes and scorpions and provided water from a rock. They learned humility as they realized how totally dependent they were on God's care and provision. Psalm 100 says, God's faithfulness continues through all generations.

Whenever we find ourselves forgetting, we can think about the ways he's answered our prayers and that reminds us of his goodness and faithful promises. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Deuteronomy chapter 8 verse 2 and verses 10 through 18. Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.

And now verses 10 through 18. When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land with its venomous snakes and scorpions.

He brought you water out of a hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. You may say to yourself, my power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.

But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth and so confirms his covenant which he swore by your ancestors as it is today. Let's pray. Dear Father, we thank you for always being faithful. We pray that you would help us to trust you in whatever we face today and when we forget that you are good and trustworthy, remind us of how you've taken care of us throughout our entire life. Thank you, Lord. It's in Jesus' name that we pray. Amen.