I will mention the loving kindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses. For he said, surely, they are my people, children that will not lie: so, he was their Savior. In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity, he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled, and vexed his Holy Spirit: therefore, he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them. Isaiah 63;7-10.
Have you, for once, tasted that the Lord is good? 1 Peter 2;3. Of his goodness that leads you to repentance and reconciliation with him? Of his goodness that secures your salvation and inscription in the Lamb's book of life in heaven? Romans 2:4.
God is not delighted whenever you forget any of his goodness, mercies and loving kindness, but wants you to remember and sing of them forever. I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever: with my mouth will I make known your faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 89;1.
God remembered you in your lower estate to lift you up, but after your promotion, do you still remember him in all your ways? Uzziah was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father, Amaziah. And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gurbaal, and the Mehunims. And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad, even to the entering in of Egypt; for he strengthened himself exceedingly. But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense. 2 Chronicles 26;1-16. Note; God cannot bear them as the earth cannot bear a servant when he reigns those who have forgotten how they got to where they are having lost sight of where they are going. Proverbs 30;20-21.
He remembers his promises concerning you. He takes notice of those who are good or bad to you to reward them accordingly because vengeance belongs to him to repay.
Do you always remember these things to declare, like Israel said, if it had not been the Lord who was on our side, now may Israel say: If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us: then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us: then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul: then the proud waters had gone over our soul. Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us a prey to their teeth. Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalms 124.
He remembers how you’ve been mistreated or treated honorably. He knows your feelings and desires. God is for you [Psalms 56;9] to visit the past sin and attack of the Amalekites against you. Deuteronomy 25; 17. He will not forget to trouble them that troubles his you, and will fight against them forever in your defense, [Exodus 17;16], but how soon have you forgotten to keep lifting up your eyes unto the hills from whence comes your true help? How soon have you forgotten the might and terribleness of this fearful God of Israel?
How soon have you forgotten that this is the God in whose hand your breath is? Daniel 5;23.
How soon have you forgotten that this is the God that if he gathers unto himself his spirit and his breath, all flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust. Job 34;14-15.
How soon have you forgotten to acknowledge him in all your ways, even the God who fills the whole of heaven and earth?
In whatever season of life, the goodness of the Lord endures forever. Though the times and seasons of life do not guarantee stability in this fallen world, your salvation is sealed as long as you don't allow any seasons in life to influence your submission to God. Hebrews 5:9.
There are seasons, good or bad, difficult periods, dry or rainy seasons, testing times, wartime, windy season, peace time, joy, sorrow, planting and harvest time, waiting and breakthrough seasons which are part of a divine plan essential for spiritual growth in God. In any of these seasons, you are called to remember and to mention the former loving kindness of God, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has bestowed on you in the past. You should not forget his past benefits and by reminding yourself of this, you are watering the ground for the present manifestations and future harvest of his continuous goodness. Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgives all thine iniquities; who heals all thy diseases; who redeems thy life from destruction; who crowns thee with loving kindness and tender mercies; who satisfies thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. Psalms 103; 1-5.
God's commitment to you is everlasting, a faithful covenant keeping God.
God manifests a different divine nature to us in different earthly seasons and situations, but his faithfulness is new every morning in whatever season we find ourselves in life. This should be an answer to our faithfulness to him in any situation, not wavering, not deviating, but steadfast in resolution and faithful to his word while walking with him.
Because thy loving kindness is better than life [without it, life offers little joy or satisfaction], my lips shall praise thee. Thus, will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: when I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Psalms 63;3-6. God’s unfailing love should provoke steadfastness in our abiding and keeping ourselves in his love against whatever is presented by the enemy to separate us from his love or doing his will. We should remember what God is to us and what he has been to us to regulate our walk before him in all situations as it is written, Ephraim compasses me about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit: but Judah still rules with God, and is faithful to the saints. Hosea 11;12. Note; none of the troubles and challenges of life should physically destabilize or spiritually derange us from forgetting the past goodness and the future plans of God. If we are genuinely saved, if we are rooted in his love, if we are rooted in the faith of God, and if we are rooted in the word of God, lest we disrupt his work in us or be swayed away from his will, we will always remember the past doings of the Lord like Caleb and Joshua remind the rest of the rebellious congregation of the children of Israel prior to the breach of promise to conquer and to possess Canaan. Numbers14;6-9.
The children of Ephraim, armed and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle. How soon have they forgotten that it is God that fights for his people? Their turning back was their ingratitude for the past victories that stemmed from forgetting Jehovah as a mighty man of war. Psalms 78:9.
We must argue down the insurrections of fear and unbelief, not to compare the great, mighty and terrible God to the inhabitants of Cannan, commanded to engage against in battle, to dispossess them, and to possess their land as promised by God; thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; yet says thou not, there is no hope: thou hast found the life of thine hand; therefore thou was not grieved. And of whom hast thou been afraid or feared, that thou hast lied, and hast not remembered me, nor laid it to thy heart? Have I not held my peace even of old, and thou fear me not? I will declare thy righteousness, and thy works; for they shall not profit thee. Isaiah 57;10-12.
They soon forgot his works; they waited not for his counsel: but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul. Psalms 106;13-15.
In essence, if we actively forget or disregard the past evidence of God's love and mercy in our present crisis, it is a serious sin with the gravest possible spiritual consequences, implying a forfeiture of salvation or a blessed afterlife. Such should not hope that, after tempting God, they will be allowed to enter into his eternal rest and abode where the garden and tree of every delightful fruit for the healing of nations is [Revelation 22;2]; wherefore, as the Holy Ghost saith, today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, they do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So, I swear in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest. Hebrews 3: 7–11.
The believers destroyed by the destroyer sent by God to die for tempting him [1 Corinthians 10;9] or the children to whom God sent leanness against their souls because of their carefulness for fleeting things [Philippians 4:6-7], ignore and despise their salvation.
Your life is more than food, and your body is more than clothes. Luke 12;23. How can you remember God’s care and provision to covet or steal afterward for these things, instead of prioritizing the kingdom and God’s interests?
We deny God’s unfailing love if we fail to remember his former goodness because of present pressing need. Has he not cared for you in the past? Why then are you not casting all the present burdens unto him? It is not given to remember your affliction and your misery, the wormwood and the gall above the unchanging loving kindness of God. God is beautiful for situations, but we stand to be judged and condemned as faithless children if we fail to acknowledge the faithfulness of God in our crisis; this I recall to my mind, therefore have, I hope. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassion's fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3;21-23.
The God of our salvation is the rock of our strength; and our forgetfulness and unmindfulness of him are at the bottom of all sin. Therefore, we have perverted our way, because we have forgotten the Lord our God, and so we undo ourselves. Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips: in the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow. Isaiah 17;10-11.
It is not in the immediate plan of God to rapture us out of Egypt to drop us in Canaan [Acts 8:39], but must walk us out of Egypt through the wilderness to be purged and cleansed of Egyptian culture, mentalities and lifestyles to qualify us for Canaan.
In the wilderness, we must, in reverence and confidence, be mindful of him who has brought us out of Egypt by his mighty hand of power for the continuation and completion of his works in us. Philippians 1;6. Should we not be led by his spirit? John 3:8. Do we indeed have a say about how and where he chooses to lead us? Proverbs 16;9.
Believers should desist grumbling and complaining against God for whatever reason. 1 Corinthians 10;10. If we cry unto God to save us, why should we be complaining about the paths of life determined by him to conform us to the image of his Son? In trials and difficulties in the wilderness of life, should we not admit in submission to providence like Job, saying, he knows the way that I take; when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold? Job 23;10.
We serve an omnipotent God. The expression and attitude of our faith should declare God's power in the past, rejoicing presently in hope for his greatness in the face of our present trials. Experiences fuel future faith. Though we feel weak and overwhelmed, God is constantly presence and active in our lives, an unfailing deliverer through all life's trials. Because God has saved us before, we have confidence he will save us again, even when things look hopeless. For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of the trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: but we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raises the dead: who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us. 2 Corinthians 1;8-10.
Quarreling with God's providence or questioning his power, goodness, and faithfulness are as great provocations to him as any whatsoever. God doesn’t demand of us beyond what is normal, but always encourages us to remember him in all our ways [Proverbs 3;6], thoughts and actions, irrespective of our present situation or circumstance.
The challenges and opposition from the enemy should not be attributed to God. He alone has the power and ways to help us to overcome our challenges and oppositions if we maintain a mentally quiet disposition but spiritually warring spirit before him. Be still and know that he is God. Psalms 46;10.
One of the easiest means of forgetting the past goodness, faithfulness and loving kindness of God is to forget that you are in the midst of spiritual warfare to fault God for what he is not culpable for [1 Corinthians 16;9], but a lot of things are at stake if we stubbornly refuse to ruminate over or review the past course of events or period of time in our walk with God, of our experiences of his love and faithfulness to wait for his present deliverance.
It is spiritual wickedness and an expression of ungratefulness to compare and prefer the former sinful life of garlic in Egypt over walking into the wilderness to be purged by God from the past corruptible and damnable lifestyle; by so doing, we despise the cross that saved us, choosing sin over holiness, and slavery over freedom, declaring preference for eternal damnation in hell fire instead of everlasting life with God in Christ Jesus. Exodus 16;3.
In our bitter season, we should not allow bitterness to trouble us then we are defiled by it against heaven. Remember the God who in the past turned the bitter water of Mara to sweetness, of him who dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over [Isaiah 51;10], never to think, suggest or attempt to go back to Egypt to express regret of coming out of the world to serve God, but enduring divine chastening to partake of his holiness.
Presumptuousness [intentional, bold, defiant sins committed with arrogance, where a person knowingly or carelessly acts against God's known will or word] is a sin in the kingdom. Psalm 19;13. Remember that no one can come to Christ for salvation except the Father in heaven draw such to him. We must show deep trust in God to provide direction in life and, ultimately, welcome us into eternal glory after earthly trials and struggles, showing faith beyond circumstances, otherwise, we become children in whom there is no faith; thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart fail: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever. For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee. But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works. Psalms 73;24-28.
The strength of Israel and of the inhabitants of Zion lies in their confession of faith in remembrance of the past demonstrations of God's goodness, faithfulness and might. Those that do not improve God's mercies to them, nor endeavor in some measure to render according to the benefit done unto them, do indeed forget them. Believers must remember past deliverance and victories to ascribe greatness and might unto God if they must overcome and defeat their present Goliath like David triumphed over his. And David said unto Saul, thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: and I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. David said, moreover, the Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, go, and the Lord be with thee. 1 Samuel 17;34-37.
In Psalms 77, verses 5 to 28, we see King David, in deep distress and darkness, actively recalling past praises and God’s mighty works, not only in his personal life, but in what he learned about God’s mighty acts with our fathers of faith in the time past to find hope and to understand God’s faithfulness, even when he is felling abandoned.
It is a conscious and deliberate effort to meditate on the past goodness of God, to fight against hopelessness and desperation while waiting for an answer and deliverance in troubled times; I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with my own heart: and my spirit made diligent search. Will the Lord cast off forever? And will he be favorable no more? Is his mercy clean gone forever? Doth his promise fails for evermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? And I said, this is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most-High. I will remember the works of the Lord: surely, I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings. Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God? Thou art the God that does wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people. Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afraid: the depths were also troubled. The clouds poured out water; the skies sent out a sound: thine arrows also went abroad. The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook. Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known. Thou led thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron. Note: The past goodness of God should suffice us to rest in his love and trust in his faithfulness for the continuation of his works, which would never be abandoned or left unfinished. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me. The Lord will perfect that which concerns me: thy mercy, O Lord, endures forever: forsake not the works of thine own hands. Psalms 138;7-8.
What is man that God is mindful of? Psalms 8:4. Is man mindful of God? Either God or whatsoever, whatever you are mindful of, will have great influence and impact on your spiritual life in the time of the trials of your faith or in the days of adversity as well as in the days of prosperity. If you are mindful of God, you will overcome your trials [Genesis 39;9], but if otherwise, the hypocrisy of your relationship with God shall be exposed that of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten the God that formed thee. Deuteronomy 32;18.
The failure to fill your heart, mind and soul with his love, being full of faith in God, and his word dwelling richly in you in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, could cost your salvation.
We must shun any rebellious attitude and expression or provocative words and act against God as we remind him of his excellent greatness and speak of his might, tender mercies and loving kindness; look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory: where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies toward me? Are they restrained? Isaiah 63:15.
Though changes and war are against you, and you erroneously think God renews his witness against you and increases his indignation upon you [Job 10:17], you should resist and subdue every false and carnal emotional reaction and faithless response, to speak good things at all times about God in whom there is no unrighteousness. Job 42:7.
Unto the upright, God will send his light to arise out of darkness [Psalm 112:4] to bring changes to unpleasant situations, turning around the captivity of his people and filling their mouths with laughter. Job 8:20.
If you know that your redeemer is alive, be filled with patience until your change comes. God that changes times and seasons, will bring new change and give you a new name with a new song. You will be restored to the former days and months past when God preserved you, when his candle shined upon your head, and when, by his light, you walked through darkness... Job 29: 2-25.