Is your forgetter working overtime?

April 14, 2014: Is your forgetter working overtime? Please SHARE this new Precious Prodigal Post: http://bit.ly/1eB6L6f

Deut 6:12 "Then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery."

We’ve been looking at Hezekiah’s life and finding some things we can apply to our own lives. He started off well, and his faith and courage were an inspiration. In times of great crisis, Hezekiah’s relationship with God thrived and grew. What an example he was!

However, when the pressure eased up, so did Hezekiah’s reliance on God. Babylon sent ambassadors to Hezekiah, and he not only received them, but he also set out to impress them. (2 Kings 20:13) He forgot how recently he was sweating it out in Jerusalem, facing a formidable enemy, and with nowhere to turn except to God. He showed off his riches and his power as if he had acquired those things himself...as if they weren’t a gift from God.

I was privileged to speak to a “Parents of Prodigals” group last week. I came away with a heavy heart for those families. Kids in treatment, in jail, still acting out at home or God knows where…although the stories were all different, the heartbreak and bewilderment were the same. And I couldn’t help but remember when I was facing those same challenges and that same overwhelming pain.

Remembering the way it was didn’t feel good, and it didn’t make for the best weekend ever. However, it was good for me, and it’s good for you to take the time to remember the way it was. Whether we are in recovery from an addiction, a divorce or loss, or loving a prodigal, we were certainly in the “house of slavery” (Deut 6:12) in that we were captive to our addiction or our pain. And your forgetter, like mine, probably tends to work overtime. We’ve achieved some period of sobriety, time has lessened our pain, or our prodigal has come home. That’s wonderful! But if we’re not careful, we’ll forget that any and all of those were gifts from God.

Hezekiah started out strong, but he forgot where that strength came from. Surrounded by the enemy, God freed him. Preparing to die, God gave him a reprieve. Having used up all the gold in his treasury to bribe the Assyrians, God restored his wealth. In every case, it was God, not Hezekiah, who gave back what had been lost or salvaged what had been almost lost. It was true for him, and it’s true for you and me.

So it was a tough weekend for me. But it was also a great weekend because it reminded me of how far I’ve come and who is really responsible for the progress. If my life is better today (and it is), it’s because of the grace of God. I was and am broken…just another “bozo on the bus.” But God delights in using us, broken pieces and all, as long as we remember where the real power is. And if I’m discouraged at the slow progress I seem to be making, I can also look back and remember how far I’ve come. And I’m thankful for the reminder.

Challenge for Today: Can you, just for today, look back at where you’ve been and see how far you’ve come? Can you remember that every step you’ve made is a gift from God?