Forgetting

Our staid, turn-of-the-nineteenth-century, Presbyterian sanctuary had been miraculously transformed into a "television game show studio" for our week-long running of the summer Vacation Bible School (VBS) program, "Studio Go" by Standard Publications. In the "audience", the children were careening around the room, bouncing in their seats,

and expending enormous amounts of excess energy. Their decibel level was off the meter. The kids were hyped!

In the church, the adult leaders were attempting to bring some order to the opening of our community VBS. Soon, they had the melee quieted, and the singing had begun. One of the songs was "Wherever I Go" by John H. Morton.

A portion of the song goes like this:

Wherever I go God is with me,
Wherever I am, He is there,
I'm never alone, He won't forget me.
God is near.
© 2009 by John H. Morton and Music Precedent, Ltd. Used by permission.

The prophet Isaiah reported the words of the Lord:

Isaiah 49:15-16 – Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. (NIV)

Among us senior citizens who were volunteering at the VBS, forgetting was sometimes a challenge. We carried schedules with us everywhere because we knew our short-term memories would not always serve! We all wore name tags for the same reason.

For myself, remembering names, dates, and people continues to be an ongoing challenge. Since retirement and the chucking of my daytime scheduler, I have increasingly found myself a bit short in the memory department. Thus, hearing the song, "Wherever I go" and the words, "He (God) won't forget me" was especially meaningful. Although I may forget, God won't. That is a great comfort to me as I age.

God will never, ever forget His own.

Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, we children come to You fully aware that we often forget You, but we draw comfort from knowing You will not forget us. We are truly sorry for the times we have left You out of our lives and our planning. Enable us, O Lord, never, ever to forget You, as You never, ever forget us. For we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

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