Forgetful Hearts, Faithful God
I recently came across a German psychologist by the name of Herman Ebbinghaus. He was pioneer in the study of cognitive memory. In 1885 he discovered what is known as the “forgetting curve.” This curve hypothesizes the decline of memory retention over time. Ebbinghaus found the human brain typically forgets learned information very rapidly without reinforcement. 50% of new information within an hour, 70% within 24 hours, and up to 90% within a week. In fact, we forget 92% of the information we take in during our lifetime.
So, the next time you think, “I so quickly forget, I’m losing my mind,” be encouraged, you’re in good company. How do we counter this reality? Ebbinghaus and other psychologists tell us that spaced repetition, active recall, and immediate application are keyways to help us remember important information.
As you read the Old Testament, this is the exact prescription given by God to his people for this very reason. God who created us, understands how quickly we can forget things, especially God and the things of God. As a result, you repeatedly find God encouraging His people to remember what He has done on their behalf. He encourages memory recall through songs, storytelling, repeated repetition, monuments (visual aid) and application—lest they forget. This begins with children (Prov. 22:6, Deut. 6:7) all the way up to adults. David said, “Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits. (Psalm 103:1-2) Asaph, another Psalm writer very similarly said, I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work and meditate on your mighty deeds. (Psalm 77:11-12)
The last two letters of Peter and Paul encourage us to remember what Christ has done and who we are now “In Christ.” IN 2nd Peter chapter 1 he says, “Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.” (2 Peter 1: 12-15)
He would later tell them, “This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles.” (2 Peter 3:1-2)
Peter understood we can easily forget and our memories need to be “stirred up.”
Paul in his last letter, wrote to timothy reminding him and followers of Jesus to not forget who we are in Christ. He said, “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself. Remind them of these things.” (2 Timothy 2:8-14)
What is the best way to remember? How is memory best triggered? According to a recent Neuroscience study I was reading, research findings support that visual aids can boost memory by up to 400%, thanks to “rapid processing in the visual cortex, which processes images as quickly as 13 milliseconds.” This rapid recognition fosters faster learning and improves the ability to recall details. This is why in educational settings, teachers will often incorporate images, charts, and visual aids to facilitate active learning and memory recall.
What makes this fascinating is that one of the most common practices in Old Testament Jewish culture was the erecting of stone monuments as a symbol (visual) to trigger remembrance. (By the way, I just love when science catches up to the bible and proves what God knew all along.) These monuments, typically be a collection of gathered stones, or one large stone, would serve as a reminder of God’s faithfulness, covenants or divine provision to the people who would encounter them.
For example, in Joshua chapter 4, Joshua was a new leader, and the Lord told him to take one man from each tribe into the Jordan River. Each man took a stone from the river, and Joshua used the stones to build a monument of remembrance. Joshua told the people, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground’”
Jacob set up a stone memorial at Bethel. This was the place he had the vision of angels going up and down a ladder. He said of this place, “Surely the Lord is in this place.” The prophecy Samuel set up a stone to commemorate one of Israel’s great victories over the Philistines and he called it, Ebenezer. (meaning “the stone of help.”) Samuel declared, “Thus far the LORD has helped us!” Joshua also set up stones of remember on Mt. Ebal. These stones had written on them, the law of Moses so the people would not forget the Lord's ways. (this stone monument still exists today)
In the same way, Jesus told the disciples and future disciples to have communion (a visual aid) as a reminder of who He is and what He has done.
"And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’" (Luke 22:19)
To illustrate this point even further, the bible tells us in many instances that God, “remembers His covenant and His promises” towards us. God remembered Noah. (Gen. 8) Genesis 19:29 tells us that “God remembered Abraham” and rescued his nephew Lot. “God remembered Rachel, “Isaac’s wife, and she conceived. (Gen. 30:22) Psalm 9:12 tells us that God remembers…the afflicted.”
In fact, even God has His visual aids to remind himself. In Genesis 9:6 we are told, “When the rainbow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.
How awesome is that!? As we remember the faithfulness of God we are encouraged with the idea that He remembers us too, and is a faithful, promise keeping God!
I want to encourage you to create your own stone alter of remembrance. Maybe it’s an actual monument, or a stone, a sticky note, a magnet, a key chain, a thanksgiving journal, a daily visual aid, an alarm on your phone—whatever helps “stir up” your memory about the faithfulness of God.
What do you need to remind God (and yourself) that He promised you?
I have two big scars on my left hand that I got when I had surgery in 8th grade after a bad compound fracture. This has become my visual aid over the years. When I’m feeling weak, broken. less than and useless or unable to do something, I look at my scar and reminding myself and God that He promised to strengthen me and uphold me with His righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)
What is your altar that helps you remember God’s promises for you?
So, the next time you think, “I so quickly forget, I’m losing my mind,” be encouraged, you’re in good company. How do we counter this reality? Ebbinghaus and other psychologists tell us that spaced repetition, active recall, and immediate application are keyways to help us remember important information.
As you read the Old Testament, this is the exact prescription given by God to his people for this very reason. God who created us, understands how quickly we can forget things, especially God and the things of God. As a result, you repeatedly find God encouraging His people to remember what He has done on their behalf. He encourages memory recall through songs, storytelling, repeated repetition, monuments (visual aid) and application—lest they forget. This begins with children (Prov. 22:6, Deut. 6:7) all the way up to adults. David said, “Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits. (Psalm 103:1-2) Asaph, another Psalm writer very similarly said, I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work and meditate on your mighty deeds. (Psalm 77:11-12)
The last two letters of Peter and Paul encourage us to remember what Christ has done and who we are now “In Christ.” IN 2nd Peter chapter 1 he says, “Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.” (2 Peter 1: 12-15)
He would later tell them, “This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles.” (2 Peter 3:1-2)
Peter understood we can easily forget and our memories need to be “stirred up.”
Paul in his last letter, wrote to timothy reminding him and followers of Jesus to not forget who we are in Christ. He said, “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself. Remind them of these things.” (2 Timothy 2:8-14)
What is the best way to remember? How is memory best triggered? According to a recent Neuroscience study I was reading, research findings support that visual aids can boost memory by up to 400%, thanks to “rapid processing in the visual cortex, which processes images as quickly as 13 milliseconds.” This rapid recognition fosters faster learning and improves the ability to recall details. This is why in educational settings, teachers will often incorporate images, charts, and visual aids to facilitate active learning and memory recall.
What makes this fascinating is that one of the most common practices in Old Testament Jewish culture was the erecting of stone monuments as a symbol (visual) to trigger remembrance. (By the way, I just love when science catches up to the bible and proves what God knew all along.) These monuments, typically be a collection of gathered stones, or one large stone, would serve as a reminder of God’s faithfulness, covenants or divine provision to the people who would encounter them.
For example, in Joshua chapter 4, Joshua was a new leader, and the Lord told him to take one man from each tribe into the Jordan River. Each man took a stone from the river, and Joshua used the stones to build a monument of remembrance. Joshua told the people, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground’”
Jacob set up a stone memorial at Bethel. This was the place he had the vision of angels going up and down a ladder. He said of this place, “Surely the Lord is in this place.” The prophecy Samuel set up a stone to commemorate one of Israel’s great victories over the Philistines and he called it, Ebenezer. (meaning “the stone of help.”) Samuel declared, “Thus far the LORD has helped us!” Joshua also set up stones of remember on Mt. Ebal. These stones had written on them, the law of Moses so the people would not forget the Lord's ways. (this stone monument still exists today)
In the same way, Jesus told the disciples and future disciples to have communion (a visual aid) as a reminder of who He is and what He has done.
"And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’" (Luke 22:19)
To illustrate this point even further, the bible tells us in many instances that God, “remembers His covenant and His promises” towards us. God remembered Noah. (Gen. 8) Genesis 19:29 tells us that “God remembered Abraham” and rescued his nephew Lot. “God remembered Rachel, “Isaac’s wife, and she conceived. (Gen. 30:22) Psalm 9:12 tells us that God remembers…the afflicted.”
In fact, even God has His visual aids to remind himself. In Genesis 9:6 we are told, “When the rainbow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.
How awesome is that!? As we remember the faithfulness of God we are encouraged with the idea that He remembers us too, and is a faithful, promise keeping God!
I want to encourage you to create your own stone alter of remembrance. Maybe it’s an actual monument, or a stone, a sticky note, a magnet, a key chain, a thanksgiving journal, a daily visual aid, an alarm on your phone—whatever helps “stir up” your memory about the faithfulness of God.
What do you need to remind God (and yourself) that He promised you?
I have two big scars on my left hand that I got when I had surgery in 8th grade after a bad compound fracture. This has become my visual aid over the years. When I’m feeling weak, broken. less than and useless or unable to do something, I look at my scar and reminding myself and God that He promised to strengthen me and uphold me with His righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)
What is your altar that helps you remember God’s promises for you?
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DEAREST PA,
n
nYou can never know how much your messages mean to me- I appreciate your diligence to your flock, deeply