Remembering

I don't know about you, but many of my hardships, trials and difficulties are me repeating the course on something God has been trying to hammer into my heart before.

The problem with people like me? We forget.

I think about the Israelites as they are in the wilderness. They've just seen this epic escape...10 plagues brought down on the Egyptians. A chase scene that makes the 47 Fast and Furious movies look like child's play...and it culminates with the chased being pinned up against a sea as chasers barrel down on them.

Then bam! Sea parts. Israel is set free and the Egyptians are swallowed up when the sea comes back to rest.

Amazing. God showed up in this tangible, ridiculous way. He came through on a promise they'd thought He'd forgotten. Here it was. Hundreds of years in the making.

He. Didn't. Forget.

The problem? Israel Did.

After some time in the wilderness, the Israelites began to grumble about being hungry and they said it'd be better to be in Egypt as slaves than to do what they were doing.

Seriously? You remember?...you walked where a sea used to be...you escaped certain crushing by the Egyptians...and you'd rather be a slave in Egypt?

How could you forget what God has done?

And then I look at my own life.

The problem? I've forgotten too.

I've forgotten that we were given 5 days with Chaia.

I've forgotten the day they said she probably wouldn't get out of the hospital.

I've forgotten the Church from all over the globe rising up together to pray for Chaia.

I've forgotten that Chaia wins when we kneel.

I've forgotten Ezekiel 36:26.

I've forgotten that Chaia's name means LIFE.

We forget because our circumstances become central and our Rescuer becomes peripheral.

We forget because our appetites for now trump our satisfaction then.

We forget because we think the wilderness is void of God's presence.

We forget because bad reports that say there is no hope overwhelm the Author and Sustainer of hope.

So let's ground ourselves with a theology of remembrance.

Remember the cross. Remember at your worst He gave you everything. There's a reason communion is central to our faith...because Jesus instructs us to do this and remember.

Today is a day for God's provision. And guess what?

Chaia?

She's still here.

And so is God. Right smack dab in the middle of your wilderness.

Think your circumstances, trials and hardships are too much?

Here's a word of advice.

Forget about it.