They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them. He did miracles in the sight of their ancestors in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan. He divided the sea and led them through; he made the water stand up like a wall. (Psalm 78:11-13)
People have short memories. Sometimes it is easy to forget something that happened in the past either because the present reality seems to different or because we've just become distracted. Every month I think about this when I think about my financial situation. I think "what if things don't come together this month?" which is a stupid thing to think because for every month of my life things have come together but it's still a challenge to remember.
This Psalm is all about remembering. It's a whole Psalm of reflection on the great things that Israel has done for God in their relationship. It's important to remember what God has done for us precisely because it casts out the worry that sometimes overcomes us and reminds us that we are in a continual relationship with God where he has shown in the past how he can be trusted and remains in trust with us.
I hear someone explain a concept in religious philosophy where every religious system or every approach to following God can be described as either obeying God because he is divine, or obeying God because he tells you to do things that are good. I think remembering falls into some kind of middle ground. We sort of follow God because he is divine, but really God is constantly reminding us of all that he has done for us. When he asks us to do something, it's in the context of his history with us and with our people. We obey God because we trust God. We obey God because of what he has done for us.
I think that's really important. It's easy to forget that God lives with us, that Jesus lived among us. There's a history there that can help us to combat this amnesia that leads us to be so afraid. So there's the thought for today. Remember what God has done.
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