Humans are great forgettors. We are easily distracted and quickly lose sight of the most important things. The pull of the world, the weakness of our flesh, and the lies of the Enemy are constantly luring us away from the One we should remember most: God Himself.
The study of the history of the Israelites shows this in bold relief. Delivered from Egypt by Jehovah on one hand, they made a golden calf and worshiped it as a god in a matter of months. They forgot and their forgetting was deadly and destructive.
But God is the Creator and Source of everything. He is to be worshiped and served continually. And we need reminders to help us stay undistracted in our devotion to Him.
SPIRITUAL SEASONS OF REMEMBRANCE
In Leviticus, Chapter 23, God sets forth seven primary national seasons of worship for the Israelites. There was one weekly time—the Sabbath—that was “to the Lord” and reminded them to pause and turn their attention to Him every seven days. They needed this regularity, and so do we.
Six more national festivals, each of them commemorating things the Lord had done and would do were to be held throughout the year, each one an important call to remember and worship the Lord.
OUR CURRENT SEASONS
Although all of these Israelites festivals are not now necessary to be observed by the believer, we are to be no less diligent in our continual worship of HIm. We are to pray without ceasing, a 24/7 communion with the Lord. We are to observe the Lord’s Day each and every week, which is a sacred moment to assemble together and turn our attention to Him. Tragically, the “weekend” has replaced the “Lord’s Day” and we think it is more about our enjoyment than pausing to turn our attention to the Lord … an incalculable loss.
We observe the day of His birth—Christmas—and the day of His death, burial, and resurrection—Easter—as means of reminder. Sadly, with most people and even followers of Christ, these days are polluted and commercialized to the point that they are hardly recognizable as days of worship and remembrance, holy to the Lord.
THE GREAT SIN
… that God describes in people and nations in Romans 1 is that God has made Himself clearly known and we have ignored and rejected Him to worship the “creature instead of the Creator.” God knows our weakness and has designed daily, weekly, and yearly ways for us to not lose focus on what matters. But, if we don’t utilize these instructed means, we will drift just like the Israelites.
Are you remembering Him? Throughout the day in prayer? On the Lord’s Day each Sunday? Are you pausing through fasting and prayer and special days to adjust your focus back on the only One who is worthy of worship? It is our most important and vital act of remembering.
Father, forgive me for days of forgetfulness. Forgive me for being consumed with myself—my wants, my loves, my needs. For making myself the center of attention. What I need, Lord, is You. When my focus is consistently on You, all is well. Help me not to forget and to use the means of grace that make me a continual, daily, hourly worshiper of You alone.
