Pastor's Column 8/10/2025

PASTOR'S COLUMN

5 “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my righthand forget how to play the harp. 6 May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth. If I fail to remember you, if I don’t make Jerusalem my greatest joy.” Psalm 137: 5-6, NLT

“The Gift of Remembering!”

Never in these times has there been a growing appreciation for the ability to remember events, people, places, and the location of resources, which are indispensable for navigating each day. Where forgetting certain things was somewhat laughable or taken casually in the past, it is no laughing matter today. The rise in digital technology along with the ever-changing pace in life has brought about an exponential rise in the loss of both memory and reasoning. There is a phenomenon today that’s called “the forgetting curve.” Studies cite: “Within one hour, 50% of new information is forgotten. In 24 hours, 70% of the information is forgotten. Within a week, 90% of all new information is forgotten. The loss of remembering and other vital abilities is also owed to our mortality as humans. This is why we’re told to “Remember your Creator when you are young…” (Ecclesiastes 12, NIV). The cure to forgetting is reinforcement and retention of what we have learned. This is clear in the Scriptures, which speak of the benefit derived from God “remembering” His people; and the faithful not forgetting God’s mighty acts. We remember God for His activity in our lives. This is why the Jewish exiles in Babylon were awakened to the fact that if they refused to remember the songs of their faith – and to play them on their instruments, life as they knew it would be debilitating and end quickly. One among the exiles said: “If I forget, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget to play the harp. May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I fail to remember you…” (Ps. 137:5-6, NLT). The Hebrew word, Zakar, means to remember. It is not simply memory recall. But it is “God acting on our behalf.” We express our gratitude to God when our actions are pleasing to Him.