Saturday Reflection – 31 July 2021

Saturday Reflection – 31 July 2021

“Remember the Lord your God for it is he who gives you power.” Deuteronomy 8:18

Often times, when things are going downhill, and we are desperate for intervention; flat on our backs we find ourselves having no recourse but to look up and cry to our Saviour. But when all is well and we are enjoying prosperity, or all is normal, and there is nothing untoward happening, we find ourselves forgetting our Saviour in whom we live, and move and have our being. The sad thing is that, often times, we only see God as someone to rescue us in danger, or keep us from meeting certain calamity, and so when all is well, we have no need of Him.

Moses in his valedictory address to the Israelites, as they stood at the banks of the Jordan River and were about to enter into the promised land, urged them not to forget the Lord their God, but to remember. You see, while travelling the wilderness, they depended on God for everything – from daily provision to sustenance and protection as they travelled, and now as they would have been content in the land of Canaan, it is easy for them to forget who brought them there, and even, who is allowing them, and blessing them, even that they may enjoy the spoils of the promised land. And forgetting the Lord also means that we even forget the morals and standards that we have to live by as Christians – living our lives with disregard for our Holy God. It may be that during our time of testing or trial, we were patient, constantly praying and being careful to read and observe the word of the Lord, and now when we have passed the test, or endured the trial and are celebrating the spoils then we have not only forgotten the journey but embraced a worldly life that dishonours our loving God.

Hear Moses then as he addresses the Israelites in verses 11-18 “Take care that you do not forget the Lord your God, by failing to keep his commandments, his ordinances, and his statutes, which I am commanding you today. When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied, then do not exalt yourself, forgetting the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, an arid wasteland with poisonous snakes and scorpions. He made water flow for you from flint rock, and fed you in the wilderness with manna that your ancestors did not know, to humble you and to test you, and in the end to do you good. Do not say to yourself, “My power and the might of my own hand have gotten me this wealth.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, so that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your ancestors, as he is doing today.”

When we reflect on the past year, we came to certain conclusions as a people. That the pandemic was about some lessons that we needed to learn with regards to our relationship with God, with each other and with the environment. We pledged to prayer and more time in devotion, and when the opportunities arose to participate in these activities, we actively took part and in great numbers. Now we are still in a pandemic, but with life progressing more or less, as it did before the onset of the pandemic, with more and more people being vaccinated. We must be careful not to go back down the road that we were moving on, before the onset of this pandemic, but to be faithful to the pledges and promises we made to God, who sustained us through this dreadful experience. We must be careful not to forget the Lord, our God, who kept us this far through the pandemic, and live with disregard when the rules are relaxed, or even when this pandemic has passed. We must not forget, but remember. Remember the challenges of the past year, the times that we turned to the Lord, and the testimonies that we shared, the experiences had, and the lessons learned. We are not passed this pandemic, but we have been sustained and are much better off, but only if we remain responsible. We have a lot to be thankful for, to our God with whom we must remain faithful.

Until next week, it has only been by the grace of God. Only He has given us the power to overcome. When we have overcome, by God’s grace and mercy, now being able to stand as overcomers, let us forget the Lord, our God. Amen.

Dominic J. Blair