Forgotten. Most likely you’ve experienced it. A forgotten birthday. A forgotten lunch plan. A forgotten fishing trip. There’s an entire Christmas movie series about a little boy who was forgotten and left behind at home. When the parents realized, he was nowhere to be found they quickly turned around to find him. These parents actually made a habit of leaving Kevin quite a bit. Must have been the financial benefits of sequels!
It’s a painful experience to be forgotten. A more poignant word is “abandoned,” and that’s what forgotten feels like. It cuts us to the heart. When the waves of life are crashing against us and eroding our foundation of faith, or when setbacks delay us, they can easily become a clog in the pipe and block the flow of God’s Spirit. We can feel forgotten and abandoned. It’s easy to have a bitterness of life that begins to fill every bit of our waking hours; it flows out of our mouth when we speak and it lowers our head in defeat.
We have a choice to make: we can let those times “win” or we can “rest.” Everything in our body will push against the resting. We push against it and try to make something happen, create a new thing, or do something to make our lives feel a bit better. However, there is another way: it’s actively resting in the promise of Jesus who says in John 14:8, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”
God has a tattoo, and it’s your name on His hand. That’s how much He remembers you!
See what Isaiah 49:14 has to say: Zion says, “The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.” Our God responds, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.”
It’s active resting because God intervenes when He remembers us.
It’s active resting because God doesn’t leave us as abandoned children.
He always remembers and acts to redeem His children.
Our Prayers Stir the Lord to Action
I Samuel 1:19-20 Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. So, in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.”
What’s that long-lasting prayer that hasn’t been answered? Keep on praying, asking and seeking God for an answer. The acronym PUSH is a good reminder for us as we orient ourselves towards active resting, Pray Until Something Happens.
Our Worship Stirs the Lord to Action
Numbers 10:9 When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the Lord.
When we worship, God is at work. Worship lifts our eyes; it releases a fresh perspective and connects us to a greater power than our own. Take time to soak in God’s presence in heartfelt worship.
Our Purpose Stirs the Lord to Action
We’ve been redeemed for a purpose. God didn’t just create us and change our lives so we could occupy space. We have a purpose: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” We have delays in our planning, but that doesn’t mean God has forgotten you. He remembers the purpose He has planned for you.
Genesis 6:1 But, God remembered Noah and all the wild animals.
Genesis 19:29 When God destroyed the cities of the plain, He remembered Abraham.
Jeremiah 15:15 Lord, you understand; remember me and care for me.
Psalm 96:3 He remembers His love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel…
You have a purpose. Your life does matter. Your life is uniquely designed to be a part of the great redemptive story of God. He uses your personality, your passions, and your peculiar ways of doing things to show the great love of God to this “world gone crazy” planet.
What is your purpose in life? Discover it. It might come from what stirs your heart. What makes you happy? What makes you angry? Or makes you cry? What breaks your heart? These are some very good indications that God is stirring your heart to make a difference.
Right now, you might be feeling forgotten and alone, but the Lord looks down at His hand, sees your name tatted across His palm and begins to make His way back to find you.
Lifetracks 