Sunday Read: Remember, Remember - Spiritual Amnesia

"Remember, remember the fifth of November" - the British rhyme commemorates Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot. But Christians suffer from a different kind of dangerous forgetting: spiritual amnesia about God's faithfulness. The Israelites witnessed the Red Sea part, manna fall from heaven, and water flow from rocks, yet within weeks they were grumbling about God's provision and building golden calves.

This pattern repeats throughout Scripture with disturbing regularity. After God delivered them from Egypt, they complained about food. After he fed them with manna, they craved meat. After he gave them water, they doubted his presence. The psalmist captures this tragic cycle: "They soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel" (Psalm 106:13). Short memories lead to shallow faith.

We suffer the same amnesia. God answers a desperate prayer, and within months we're anxious about new circumstances, as if he's never proven faithful before. He provides financially through an unexpected crisis, and the next financial pressure finds us panicking rather than remembering. He heals a relationship we thought was beyond repair, and the next conflict has us assuming the worst.

This is why Scripture constantly commands remembrance. "Remember the wondrous works that he has done" (1 Chronicles 16:12). "Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God" (Hebrews 13:7). The Israelites built stone memorials, celebrated annual feasts, and told their children stories - all designed to combat spiritual amnesia. Communion itself is an act of remembrance: "Do this in remembrance of me" (Luke 22:19).

Combat your spiritual amnesia by creating tangible reminders of God's faithfulness. Keep a journal of answered prayers. Share testimonies of God's provision. Celebrate anniversaries of significant spiritual moments. When anxiety about tomorrow grips you, deliberately recall yesterday's faithfulness. The God who brought you through every previous trial is the same God who stands with you in this one. Your past is littered with evidence of his care - don't let temporary circumstances make you forget eternal faithfulness.