And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. (Deuteronomy 8:2 ESV)
Memories and Faith
I was absolutely sure the store was on the North side of the street. I could see it in my mind’s eye. But when I neared the location, I discovered I was wrong.
More specifically, my memory was wrong.
I do not like to admit that my memory is often wrong. I miss-remember exactly what I was told, often turning the statement into insult, where no insult was intended. I miss-remember exactly what I said, often turning my rude statement into merely describing facts. I miss-remember intentions, thoughts, words, and deeds.
When God led the Israelites for forty years in the wilderness, He knew what He was doing. He was teaching necessary lessons. He was disciplining because He loved (Deuteronomy 8:5)
But the Israelites remembered things differently. They remembered things incorrectly. Before God made His clear explanation, they said, “Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” (Exodus 14:12 ESV)
They either miss-remembered how bad things were in Egypt, or they miss-remembered God’s leadership in the wilderness, or they miss-remembered God’s goodness. God offered them, in place of their faulty memories, faith.
As fantastic as those tiny neurons that store memories and allow recall of information are, God’s memory is better. Our memories fail, but not God’s. Our memories become twisted to our selfish purposes, but God’s is Truth. Our memories, while useful, are not useful enough.
And so God asks us to have faith in Him. God asks us to believe that He IS always working for our good. (Romans 8:28) And so God gives us the faith we need to remember HIS ways.
And find peace.
Let your faith instruct your memory.
Take the faith God grants us.