Recently, I was reading about the account of Noah, and these words leaped off the page at me: "But God remembered Noah". Now we all know that God had not actually *forgotten* Noah. But, think about it. The verse before says, "The water prevailed upon the earth one hundred and fifty days." Imagine. Being closed up on this ark with just your immediate family and a gazillion animals, and it rains and rains and rains, and you know from what God has said that everyone and everything outside that ark has been destroyed. Nothing is left but your little group. You are floating in a vast unknown, nothing in sight, day after day after day, tossed around by waves that I am sure were there. I don't know about you and Noah, but I'm pretty certain I would wonder if God remembered me!!
And, don't we sometimes. We all have our "floods" whether they are sickness, like mine currently is, financial crisis, marriage crisis, child crisis..... we look around us and we see nothing but a flood. We see waves, we may feel tossed, we may feel alone in a great, vast ocean. But, this we can remember~ God has not forgotten us! He is there with us to give us His peace so that we know He is walking with us through the flood.
The commentary here says that "to 'remember' in the Bible is not merely to recall to mind; it is to express concern for someone, to act with loving care for him. When God remembers His people, He does so 'with favor'." We go through trials that cause us to wonder if God is still there. We don't feel Him with us for times, and He stays silent for what seems like a long time. But, then, God remembers us. He expresses His concern and He acts with loving care. He is a good God, teaching us about Himself and growing us in the silence, then remembering us with His favor.
This morning, as I was thinking about writing this blog post, this just happened to be the devotion I read from Jesus Calling~
"My face is shining upon you, beaming out Peace that transcends understanding. You are surrounded by a sea of problems, but you are face-to-Face with Me; your Peace. As long as you focus on Me, you are safe. If you gaze too long at the myriad problems around you, you will sink under the weight of your burdens. When you start to sink, simply call out, "Help me, Jesus!" and I will lift you up.
The closer you live to Me, the safer you are. Circumstances around you are undulating, and there are treacherous-looking waves in the distance. Fix your eyes on Me; the One who never changes. By the time those waves reach you, they will have shrunk to proportions of My design. I am always beside you, helping you face today's waves. The future is a phantom, seeking to spook you. Laugh at the future! Stay close to Me."
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you." Isaiah 43:2
God has not forgotten.
