Soul reminders

BY JORDAN MAYER

"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits."
(Psalm 103:2)

Do you ever have trouble remembering? Maybe it’s someone’s name, or that appointment you scheduled weeks ago, or what you ate for breakfast yesterday. How about the things you don't even realize you've forgotten or that nagging feeling that something has slipped your mind? I think we would all agree that we are prone to forget.

Think of all the consequences that result from our forgetfulness. Some may be rather trivial while others may be quite severe. How much greater than are the consequences of spiritual forgetfulness?

We see this play out again and again with the people of Israel. Look back at the time of judges. The people cried out to God for deliverance, God raised up a judge to save them from their enemies, and then the land had rest for a time. Then what? The people forgot about God! After Gideon's death, Israel's fifth judge, it says, "And the people of Israel did not remember [emphasis added] the LORD their God, who had delivered them from the hand of all their enemies on every side." (Judges 8:34).

What happens when we forget about God?

When we forget to worship Him, we worship other things. When we forget the truth of God's Word, we define the truth for ourselves. When we forget what God has done, we begin to fear and doubt. When we forget to rely on God, we start to rely on ourselves.

So how do we make sure we don't forget God? We need reminders, soul reminders!

We need reminders in our spiritual life just like we need them in our daily life. I think we often shy away from this, thinking that we should just remember. But there is no shame in reminders, for they are a wonderful tool for remembering and one frequently employed by the writers of the Psalms.

Psalm 103 is one such soul reminder. “Listen up, soul, remember to bless the Lord!” Don’t forget His benefits, don’t lose sight of what He’s done. It is He who forgives you, the merciful and gracious God who casts away your sins as far as the east is from the west. The faithful One who lifts you up out of the pit, crowns you with His love and mercy, and satisfies you with His good. Your Heavenly Father who is slow to anger, but abounding in steadfast love. So with all that is within me, bless His holy name!

Brothers and sisters, it is good to remind ourselves of God and to remember to bless His name!

Though we are prone to forget, we must also remember that God, in His kindness and grace, did not leave us to our own forgetful devices. He gave us a Helper, One who works in us, to will and to work for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).

Jesus had these words of encouragement to his disciples, those who would have the momentous task of recording His words. “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." (John 14:26).

Whatever is going on in your life, whatever may be on your mind, pause a moment. Remind yourself of who God is, recall what God has done, and with all that is within you, bless His holy name!