Photo by tikyon on Unsplash
Dear Ministry Partner,
Many of us are prone to forgetfulness.
We sometimes forget what we read during our devotional time the day before. Even when God answers our prayers and has shown Himself to be faithful, we may still forget about His goodness, provision and deliverance over time, and fail to trust in Him.
The nation of Israel suffered from forgetfulness too. The psalmist writes in Psalm 105 and Psalm 106 to remind Israel not to forget God’s kindness and deeds to them. The words, “remember, did not remember, forgot” appear many times in both psalms.
As a covenant community, Israel had witnessed and experienced God’s mighty works and wonders. Israel was called to remember and make God’s goodness known to future generations and the surrounding nations. But forgetfulness led Israel to rebel, grumble, disobey, be ungrateful, and test God time and again. In His great mercy, God disciplined the nation so that Israel would remember the Yahweh who had been protecting and providing for them.
In our own Christian journey, forgetfulness of God and His faithfulness can stunt our growth. We feel anxious when we forget God’s promises and His faithfulness to us. We are overwhelmed by our circumstances when we forget that God is still in control. We grumble and gripe when we forget His provision, and take His kindness and goodness for granted. We feel unloved when we forget how much God loves and cares for us. We take sin lightly when we forget the price Jesus paid to redeem our souls.
How can we heed the advice in Psalm 105-106, and be less forgetful? Let me suggest some ways I have found helpful in my own journey of remembering God:
Take comfort in the fact that while we are prone to forget, God never forgets us. He remembers His covenantal love with us, and He acts out of His great love for us (Psalm 105:5; 106:45). He is bound by His character and His eternal promises — He does not make promises that He will not keep (Isaiah 49:15).
May we lead our lives in constant recollection and remembrance of God’s grace and faithfulness.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Lam Kok Hiang
Leadership Mentor
"My life is full of miracles from God. My brother found God in Boys' Town. My wife was healed of a brain tumor. I was healed of prostate cancer. I'm full of joy, and I want to share this joy with others!"
Michael Lim | Men of Impact programme participant
It all started 17 years ago; back in 2005. Michael's wife, Rachel experienced headaches on a regular basis, and in her words, “felt that something was off”. After undergoing a CT scan, their worst fears were realised: they discovered a brain tumor. It was as if life just suddenly stopped, and they were absolutely lost as to what to do next.
"I remember one Saturday morning, a friend whom we never spoke with for years suddenly called us," shares Michael. "She invited us to a church near our home in Tampines, where they held a miracle service every week. We had no idea what that was, but we decided to go anyway."
"The service was...interesting," says Michael with a laugh. "During the service, many people surrounded us, raised their hands, and prayed in tongues. We have never been to a church service before, much less be prayed for in tongues!"
After that service, Rachel managed to have several nights of good sleep, and felt peace like never before. It was then that she suggested to him that they go for Sunday service, just to find out more about this God that people believed in. Not long after, subsequent scans found that the tumor had completely disappeared, and that was the day they accepted Jesus into their lives.
Little did Michael know that this wasn't going to be the only major health scare that would plague him and his family. A couple of years ago, he received news that he had prostate cancer, which abruptly halted his plans to retire in Thailand. After undergoing treatment - and with a lot of prayer in-between – he was healed of his cancer, and this was yet another testament of God's miracles in his life.
It was also through his cancer episode where his urologist, Dr James Tan, encouraged him to sign up for Cru Singapore's "Men of Impact" (MOI) course. Through the 8-week long course, Michael learnt more about crafting his own personal mission statement, as well as how to live with greater meaning and purpose for his life, even in his retirement!
Michael discovered God's calling for him: not to simply contribute his money and expertise to various ministries, but more importantly, to share the story of God's salvation with people.
Renewed by a sense of purpose and mission – to share the joy in the Lord with people – Michael now travels to regional countries for missions work with underprivileged communities.
For more information on the Man of Impact course, connect with us at significanceproject@cru.org.sg or visit cru.sg/man-of-impact.
亲爱的事工伙伴，
我们大都善忘。
有时不记得昨天灵修时读了些什么。即使神多番成全我们的祈求、彰显祂的信实，我们也可能随着时间遗忘祂的良善、丰盛和拯救，竟无法信靠祂。
以色列也曾如此健忘。诗人藉着诗篇105及106篇提醒以色列人不可忘记神的美善和祂为以色列所行的一切。篇章里多次出现“记念，不记念，忘记”等词汇。
以色列作为神所拣选立约的民族曾经见证并体验神大能的工作及奇事。以色列被召聚为要记念神的约直到千代、又在全地宣扬祂的作为。但是以色列因忘记神的作为而一再悖逆、埋怨、抗拒、不记念及试探祂。神数度发怒管教以色列，又照着祂丰盛的慈爱挽回他们，好使以色列记得那一直保护和供给他们的耶和华。
我们基督徒行走天路，倘若忘却神和祂的信实就可能停滞不前。忘了神的应许和信实，心生焦虑。忘了神仍掌管万有，面对困境而茫然。忘了祂的供应、把祂的良善视作理所当然，我们满腹牢骚。忘了神多么眷爱我们，以为被冷落了。忘了基督曾为世人付出怎样的赎价，我们轻忽罪的代价。
我们应该怎样回应诗篇105-106里的劝诫呢？请让我分享个人历程里记念神的心得：
令人欣慰的是，即便我们健忘，但神永不忘记我们。祂记念自己立的约，照着祂丰盛的慈爱为我们回心转意(诗篇105:5;106:45)。祂永不改变，持守自己的应许 — 凡祂所应许的，祂必持守(以赛亚书49:15)。
愿我们活着时时记念神的恩典和信实。
愿神多多赐您恩惠与平安，
蓝国贤
会务导师
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