THE WORD 4 ev 1

Isaiah 43:18-19a - Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? …

“I can forgive them, but I cannot forget,” she told me. That said, the friendship cooled and an estrangement set in that lasted for years. While the relationship was eventually repaired, sadly, nothing could replace the time lost.

Forgetting is an essential part of forgiveness. Without it, the person above merely said she would forgive, but no true forgiveness had really taken place.

When God talks about forgiveness, here is what He says: “For I will forgive their wickednessand will remember their sins no more” (Jeremiah 31:34b). Odd, isn’t it? Forgetfulness is a human shortcoming few of us can escape; yet the person above states she cannot forget the wrong done to her. And then God, who is perfect, says
that He indeed does forget when it comes to our sins.

Again, we learn how God’s way is different than our way. I’ll never quite understand how God who is all knowing cannot remember something, but I’ll take Him at His Word,
especially since it’s my sins He promises not to remember. Is there something you are holding on to that you need to let go of?

THE PRAYER: Lord, help me to forget those former things that need to be forgotten. For Jesus’ sake, enable me to forgive others as You have forgiven me. Amen.