By Michael Adekoya – “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labour of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” Heb. 6:10.
Dear Reader, as sons and daughters of Adam we have all inherited a nature that always tends to go against the right. This nature separates us from God. We read in the Bible that our thoughts are not His thoughts neither are our ways, His ways. Our nature is to be forgetful. We have to work hard to remember. God’s nature is such that He has all knowledge and can only forget if He chooses to do so. This for the Kingdom Citizens is great news but for the lost is a guarantee for a coming judgment.
Sometimes as human beings, during trials, troubles, challenges of life, loneliness, unanswered prayers, prolonged warfare, in times of pain, sicknesses or diseases, temptations, the death of a loved one and so on, we tend to feel as if God has forgotten us. The Psalmist said, “Why do You stand afar off, O LORD? Why do You hide in times of trouble?” Psa. 10:1. Due to the Psalmist’s situation, he felt that God has forsaken, God has left him, he felt abandoned by God and it seems that God is hiding from him. No wonder, he voiced it out. Are you in this kind of situation right now?
Probably you are being oppressed by the wicked ones, you expect God to intervene, to fight for you, to liberate you, to avenge for you, to justify or vindicate you. Instead of any of these, you are feeling forgotten, neglected, forsaken and lonely. My friend, you are not alone, read this, “How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?” Psa. 13:1-2. That may sound like your thoughts, it may seem as if I have put your feelings into writing. That shows, that there were many people dead or alive today that have been through the similar situation that you are going through. Even Jesus in one of the Messianic Psalms says, “How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?” Psa. 13:1-2. For the fact that you or others have felt or are feeling this way, does that mean that our God forgets, abandons or forsake His own people? The answer is a resounding and emphatic No!
My friend, we belong and serve the Lord that remembers. He says, “But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me, And my Lord has forgotten me.” “Can a woman forget her nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.” Isa. 49:14-16. Like Zion, you might have said or felt as if God has forgotten you, He is saying to you right now as He said concerning Zion in the above Bible passage that He has not and cannot forget you. Although it is possible for a nursing mother to forget her own child, but it is impossible for Him to do so. Why? He is a God that remembers!
My friend, consider some of these Bible passages; “(for the LORD your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.” Deut. 4:31. “and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.” Gen. 9:15. “So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.” Exo. 2:24. “He remembers His covenant forever, The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations,” Ps. 105:8. “For He remembered His holy promise, And Abraham His servant.” Ps. 105:42.
“Nevertheless I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.” Ezek. 16:60. “Remember these, O Jacob, And Israel, for you are My servant; I have formed you, you are My servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me! Isa. 44:21. And finally, Jesus’ final words in the book of Mathew is, “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” Matt. 28:20
These are just some among the numerous promises of God in the Bible that He promised that He will not forget His own people. Our God can never lie – “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” Num. 23:19. My friend, I shall take you through some Bible passages that God demonstrated, actualised or remembered His people as He has promised. “Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided.” Gen. 8:1. “And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt.” Gen. 19:29. “Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb.” Gen. 30:22. In those three Bible passages, God remembered Noah and set him free from the ark after the flood. God remembered what He promised Abraham and did not allow his Nephew Lot to perish with the sinners in Sodom and Gomorah. Rachel was remembered by God, she conceived and gave birth to a promising child – Joseph. If you belong to God, be rest assured that He has not forgotten all what He has said, written or planned for you. We serve a God that remembers!
My friend, not only that God remembers His covenants, His promises or does not forget His people, He also remembers the efforts, the labour of love and the works of His people towards the progress of His Kingdom on earth or towards His people. This takes us back to our text above, that is, Hebrews 6:10 which says, “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labour of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” Are your labour or efforts are not being appreciated, rewarded or recognised by the people around you? Does it seem as if you are putting in too much than you are receiving back? Are you labouring genuinely and have very little or nothing to show for it? Are your motives for the service of God are being questioned, doubted or suspected? My friend, we serve the Lord that remembers. He says, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” 1Cor. 15:58. Never give up, never give in, never pack up, God remembers all your efforts and labour of love, they shall all be adequately rewarded both in this world and in the one to come. He remembers your godly efforts and labour of love.
Finally, my friend, do you know that God remembers your sins if you are yet to accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour. Your sins are all open to Him, eternal judgement and damnation awaits. He says, “And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her.”
Rev. 18:4-6. Pay back time is awaiting you if you do not repent and accept Jesus into your life. You may think you are clever, manipulative or wise, no one can catch you, you are above the law, you can oppress, torment, embezzle, bear false witness against others, you can fornicate or commit adultery without being caught – “He has said in his heart, “God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see. ”Ps. 10:11. My friend, it is a lie, God remembers your sins unless you repent and receive Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, then, He shall choose not to remember your past sins anymore. “then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Heb. 10:17. Through our Lord Jesus, we can have our sins removed and we can stand before a Holy God robed in the righteousness of Christ.
In conclusion, Are you going through a period of time where you feel that God has forgotten you? Choose to accept the authority of the scriptures over your feelings and know that God has not forsaken you. Are you working for the Lord and giving yourself to Him in service but wonder if it is worth the effort? Remember God is not unrighteous. Whatever work you do here for His sake will be richly rewarded throughout eternity and the glory there cannot be compared with the sufferings of this present world. Are you thankful that your sins have been forgiven because of the blood of Jesus? Maybe your past is hindering your present service to God, but it’s time to move on and serve the Lord without any guilt. But if you have not trusted in Christ as your Saviour, one day you will stand before Christ and He will remember your iniquities. He will treat you as the enemy of God that you are. You have rejected Jesus Christ and His blood. Why not come and have your sins blotted out and receive the gift of eternal life from Jesus Christ our Lord? Remember, we have a God that remembers. Remain blessed!
Jesus is Lord!
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