According to a Psychology Today article, we remember what we want to. That’s hard for me because I’m very forgetful. I always have been. My ADD brain is usually thinking of hundreds of things at once, so it can take a while for me to get through the haystack in my mind.
The article suggests we remember what we value. Or, we remember things as we wish they were. When we don’t remember, or don’t want to remember something as it was, we recreate the memory falsely in our mind.
Another article stated that no one remembers everything. (Whew! That’s a relief.) One tip this article recommends for remembering is to envision what forgetting will look like. For example, I often forget to turn off the stove. According to the article, we should use our senses to help us remember. In other words, I should picture what not turning off the stove would look like, sound like and smell like when, say, the house is burning down. I’ll try that – if I can remember.
What about forgetting God and what He has done for us, and all He can and will do for us.
Jesus began the Lord’s Prayer with, “Our Father in Heaven, Holy is Your name.” Jesus began by remembering who God is – Father, Creator, Holy and separate from anything else we know. He began His prayer with worship. This reminder builds our faith as we remember God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Psalm 100:4
Remember the former things of old; I am God, and there is no other. –Isaiah 46:9
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. – Deuteronomy4:9
Why does God want us to remember who He is and what He has done?
Because when we forget who God is and what He has done for us, we can stop obeying His commandments resulting in unwanted consequences. We stop being thankful and worshiping Him. This results in the weakening of our faith. And when we stop remembering Him, we stop praying.
Perhaps we need to envision what the world will look and feel like without God and prayer (or just look around us).
By Penny Cooke
used by permission
FURTHER READING
The Lord’s Prayer (traditional)
