Where Am I and How Did I Get Here?
Pastor Jim May
Victor Borge told about a couple going on vacation, standing in line waiting to check their bags at the airline counter. The man said to the wife, "I wish we had brought the piano." She said, "Why? We’ve got sixteen suitcases already!" He said, "Yes, I know-- but the airline tickets are on the piano!"
There’s a story about a man from the city who was visiting relatives on a farm. He was out walking around with the farmer when the farmer gave a whistle and his dog herded the cattle into the corral, and then latched the gate with her paw. "Wow, that’s some dog. What’s her name?" The forgetful farmer thought a minute, and then asked, "What do you call that red flower that smells good and has thorns on the stem?" "A rose?" "That’s it!" The farmer turned and called out to his wife. "Hey Rose, what do we call this dog?"
Your memory is a terrible thing to loose. There are a lot of people out there who have lost all or part of their ability to remember things. All of us suffer from memory lapse at some time or another. We forget things so easily.
Have you ever stopped in the doorway to the kitchen or some other room and wondered whether you are coming in, or going out?
Have you ever found yourself standing in the closet wondering what you were in there for? Did I come in here looking for something, or to put something up?
Have you ever met someone you knew and just couldn’t remember his or her name? That’s an embarrassing moment for all of us.
What about when you go to the grocery store to get one thing and then arrive at home with bags filled with things you didn’t go after and realize that you forgot the one thing you really wanted?
What about riding down the road, in very familiar surroundings, and then suddenly you wonder where you are? My first thought is often, “Was that last traffic light red or green?” And then I realize that my Guardian angels must have really been on the job because I don’t even remember the last few miles.
Those are the kind of memory problems that plague us all.
Those types of memory loss are disturbing but there are some poor folks who lose much more than that. One of the most dreaded diseases around is that of Alzheimer’s. It begins subtly but before long those stricken can’t remember where they live or even what their names are. Sometimes it’s the long-term memory, of childhood and early marriage that they loose. At other times it’s the short-term memory that is gone. They can remember many years ago, but can’t remember what they did yesterday.
God knew that man would have the tendency to forget things. That’s why He had to put down His Word in writing, so that we could have something to go back to and refresh our memory from time to time. That is one of the reasons why He has instructed us to come together as often as we can, so that we can be reminded of things of God.
If you don’t think that’s necessary, then will all of you who cannot remember what the sermon was about last Sunday morning, please raise your hand. Why, you can’t remember that one! It was one of the best that I’ve had in a long time – and you have already forgotten it! I can’t believe it. You’re memory is really bad isn’t it?
I had a lot more to say about that, but I can’t remember what I wanted to say!
God knew that we would quickly forget where we have come from and how we came to be where we are right now, so He gave us some instructions and some warnings, to constantly remind ourselves of those things.
Israel was always forgetting what God told them. In fact, Jeremiah the Prophet is very emphatic when he corrects Israel for its forgetful ways in Chapter 2, verse 32, "Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number."
In Deuteronomy 8:11-14, God gives Israel a clear warning about their forgetful ways, "Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;"
How quickly we forget sometimes, that everything we have, and all of the blessings of life that we enjoy, are gifts from God.
James 1:17, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."
But God knew how forgetful we are.
How often do sit down to eat, and after we have eaten our full, we remember that we didn’t say grace over the meal?
How often do we lie down upon our bed, in our comfortable air-conditioned, climate controlled homes, and fall off into a peaceful sleep without even once thanking God for it all?
And what about our jobs and the ability to pay our bills? Do we forget to thank God for the income that He provides?
Too many people I know think that they did it all by themselves.
Where was God when I had to get up at 3:00 AM to get to the job?
Where was God when I got fired and had to go find another job on my own?
Where was God when my cable bill was due and the money wasn’t there to pay for it?
Let me tell you that God was there the whole time. It was He who gave you breath, and life, and the ability to hear the alarm clock at 3:00 AM. It was God who gave you health and strength to get out of the bed, get dressed and get to work. It was God who kept you all through the day and then protected you on the highway to bring you home again safely. It was God who opened the door for you to get a new job when you needed it, and most of the time, the one He gives to you was better than the one you had anyway. And, it is God who supplies your need when it comes time to pay your bills – even the cable bill!
So let’s not forget where our real source is! Satan doesn’t want you to succeed or have peace and rest. It all comes from God!
God went on to remind Israel of where they had come from, what He had brought them through and what He had done for them.
Deuteronomy 8:15-16, "Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;"
In your own life, that terrible wilderness of confusion, doubts, fears, frustrations, dangers and sin that surrounds you on every side, it is God who has delivered you from it all and brought you through victorious. Some of us have had to face greater dangers that others.
The youth, just last week, learned a valuable lesson on “bearing your cross”. We all have a “cross to bear” in life. Some people have a cross to bear that they think is so heavy and so big that they just can’t carry it. Perhaps they are having tremendous financial difficulties, or troubles in the family, or whatever their burden may be. Then suddenly, they meet someone whose burdens in life are so much greater and it makes them ashamed for having complained.
There is an old poem that contains this thought that says, “I had complained of not having better shoes, until I met a man that had no feet.”
There were some fiery serpents and scorpions that were there in your life. The powers of Hell wanted you dead and in hell. Demonic activity is everywhere, and Satan is ever laying traps to make you stumble and fall. But God, But God, But God – was there to see you through them all. By His strong arm, He has delivered you from the traps of the devil.
There were times in your life when you felt that you just go another mile. I’ve given all I can give, and all the world does is take from me and never give anything back. We sink into a deep depression and live in a pool of self-pity, because there’s a drought in our lives for a while. There isn’t one of us who hasn’t faced the droughts. The bank account is dry. The social life is dry. The relationships at home are dry. And worst of all, our spirit is dry.
Then we remember the word of the Prophet Joel in Chapter 2, verses 23-29, "Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil. And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed. And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit."
Thank God for the natural rain. It’s raining outside right now, or at least it has been. The rain is reviving the plants, making the grass to grow, and renewing the earth. It’s been dry and everything was dying, but now, a fresh new odor fills the air and hope for a greener day is alive. The rain may not always be pleasant as it falls, but it is necessary, and we are glad to see it come.
Thank God for that Spiritual Rain as well. When the Holy Ghost rains down, He brightens our day, gives us a baptism of new life, revives us once again, and makes us see the green pastures of the Lord that He has laid before us. He restores my soul and lifts my spirit and makes me feel like I can run through a troop and jump over a wall.
But let us heed the warnings contained in this passage in Deuteronomy as well.
Deuteronomy 8:17, "And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth."
A lot of people refuse to give God thanks, or credit, for anything in their lives. They have the attitude, like an old song by an old singer by the name of Frank Sinatra, once sang, “I did it my way”, like no one else helped me, I did it all, and I’m going to keep it all for myself. That selfish attitude is going to cost many people their eternal soul in the end. They want to enjoy the blessings, take from life all that they can, can all that they can get, and forget God who gives it to them.
God’s reminder of His provision is next in Deuteronomy 8:18, "But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day."
God will not let us steal His glory. He wants us to give Him glory for all that He does for us. Don’t ever forget that it is God who gives you the ability to earn a living. He is the one who provides the air you breathe. He is the one who has given you the promise of an abundant life, and He never fails to fulfill His promises. We need to stop every once in a while and just give Him praise for all He does. We need to ever be thankful, no matter how bad it may seem at the moment, that God will see us through it all. We need to praise Him for the victory even before we see it come to pass. That’s called, “Living By Faith”. It’s more than just a song we sing; it’s a life that we must live!
Here’s God final warning about forgetting Him days without number!
Deuteronomy 8:19-20, "And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God."
Surely we, as the Children of God, should not need to be reminded that we are to serve the Lord with all our Heart, Mind, Body, Soul, Spirit and Strength. Surely we should remember that, shouldn’t we? If we truly love Jesus, why should we need to be constantly reminded, and constantly exhorted, to come together and worship Him?
But this very morning, as I am giving forth this exhortation, how many have chosen to do other things instead of hearing the Word of the Lord? How many have chosen to forget God and go off to serve “other gods” of pleasure, leisure, sleep, family, friends or just about anything else you want to name.
Not all who are enjoying those things are forgetting God. God is not a hard taskmaster who denies His children the privilege of enjoying life and taking time off to rest and relax. But when we forget to thank Him; when we forget to praise Him; when we forget where we have come from and why we are where we are, then we get in trouble.
In all of our loss of memory, let us remember God. Let us not be guilty of forgetting God days without number. Let us ever be in an attitude of prayer and praise unto the Lord. When you leave this place today, don’t forget that it is God who is giving you all the good things in your life. Don’t forget to thank Him for it!
