Do Not Forget


Psalm 111
1Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
2Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them.
3Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever.
4He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful.
5He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.
6He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the inheritance of the nations.
7The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy;
8they are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
9He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name!
10The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!

It’s been a difficult week in the world. We’ve seen terrorist attacks and riots over race. The images enter our very homes through our computers and televisions. Our hearts are fearful and our foundations seem shaky. Most troubling for the culture is that there appears to be nowhere to turn for answers or peace. I’m a simple person with an average intellect but in that simplistic outlook it seems that much of our angst can be found in the fact that we have lost our center; we have turned our back on the only One who has security and comfort.

Psalm 111 rings out as a steady reminder of Who is important. Praises for the Living God surround these words and bring us once again to the fact that God is still in control. His works are “great” and worthy of study. He provides for our every need and all that He says is trustworthy. The greatest aspect of His love is that “He sent redemption to His people” through Jesus Christ. Each day it does us well to remember that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”. Where we have gone horribly wrong is that we have forgotten His mercies, for they are no longer at the center of our lives as a nation or as individuals. When Jesus lives as the center of our hearts, racism and hatred no longer find a home with us. And we have neglected to teach our children of His great love for us and for others, thus dooming the next generation to a continued struggle.

Moses told the Israelites to always share God’s love and Laws with their children and those words of wisdom have been lost to us. And then we wonder why things have gone so wrong. It’s cause and effect.

Deuteronomy 4:6–10
6 Keep them [the commandments of the Lord] and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ 7 For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? 8 And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today? 9 “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children— 10 how on the day that you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, the Lord said to me, ‘Gather the people to me, that I may let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children so.’

So instead of despair, we turn instead to the God who created us, saved us and is returning for us. We share that Good News with our children and and assure them of the hope we have in the Lord. Remembering all that God has done moves us from despair into hope and that is where God’s people reside.

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