LEST WE FORGET

They forgot God their Savior

Who had done great things

in Egypt.

Psalm 106:21

Since I was a very little girl, there was a medium-size statue that was in place outside our local VFW building. It was of a severely wounded soldier probably from WWI. I think now it was representing WWI because of the helmet that was on the soldiers head. He was in a slumped position looking severly wounded. Engraved at the bottom of that statue were and still are the words LEST WE FORGET. I can recall asking my Mother about that statue and what those words meant. She simply said that we should never forget the soldiers who were wounded or died in the war. That was her statement, short and sweet.

Today in my reading in Psalm 106, I found it to be quite historical God's people had been in the wilderness hopefully heading out of Egypt and going to the Promised Land. It ended up being a longer trek than expected because of the sin of the people but things didn't get better. God provided for them and protected them. They didn't get everything they wanted but still were cared for. They were complainers that grew into anger and gross sin.

Moses at one point went to Mt. Sinai where God gave him the Ten Commandments. Meanwhile below that, people were out of control with their sin. It all didn't erupt all at once but they had gone into just about every kind of sin from lust and envy to even sacrificing their children to Baal. In it all they came up with a golden calf, an idol they all could worship, dance around and continue in their sin.

What could of happened to bring the people to this. God had done everything that was in the well being of the people but it just didn't seem to be enough. Much had started with their attitudes toward the leadership God had provided in Moses. This is often where deep sin starts with many. People resist authority and the same is true today.

We can look at those peoples mind-set when it comes to sin. There seemed to be no restraint at all let alone remembering God's goodness in their lives since leaving Egypt. It would seem there was nothing too bad they wouldn't partake in. There was no regard for God at all...their memories of God had all but vanished with little memory of Him and His goodness.

We live in such a society today. God isn't totally forgotten, but for many, they seem to be close. Who would have thought we would have come to all the debauchery we know of in our country on a daily basis. We can be critical of it all and maybe we haven't forgotten God, but it can happen so easily if not just in intermittent ways. There may not be the statue of a soldier in our town but all of us have been exposed to a cross where our Savior died for us. Mentally, we should picture that saying at the bottom of it....LEST WE FORGET. For the born again believer, I would hope that we wouldn't forget that ultimate sacrifice given for us by a very loving God.

Thank You Father for all You've done for us in loving and providing for us everything we need. May we be in such relationship with You that we could never forget Your love and goodness in our lives, both past and present. In Jesus' precious name...Amen