It’s so easy to forget what God has done for us. We are all children of Israel and need reminders of what God has done for us. Jeremiah gave Israel a fairly strong reminder in Jeremiah 2:6. He says, “They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD who brought us up from the land of 
Egypt, who led us in the wilderness, in a land of deserts and pits, in a land of drought and deep darkness, in a land that none passes through, where no man dwells?’” During our trips to Israel we have looked out over the vast waste land where God provided for His people for 40 years! We did not venture far into that desolate land. But for 40 years God fed them there. He kept their clothes from wearing out. He sent them water and supernaturally provided for their every need. He was the perfect husband providing for His bride.
It is human nature to take much for granted in our lives. Jesus understood that and established the Lord’s Supper and instructed us to do that to help us remember all that He did for us. Israel was delivered from slavery and guided patiently through some difficult circumstances into the Promised Land. God was with them through all the hardships and met their every need. Guest explains this: “He brought her out of bondage. By bringing her out of Egypt, God signified that here was a people destined for so much more. They walked on dry ground through the Red Sea between high walls of roaring water standing back in obedience to the Hand of the Husband. Yet now they walked after idols (v. 5).”[1] It is so important for us to establish “thanksgivings” in our lives wherein we remember the many blessings God has bestowed on us. It’s important for us belong to a band of believers who share the memory and celebrate it together in communion.
Ryken observes, “The marriage between God and his people is dying of neglect. God’s people no longer seek after God. They no longer say, ‘Where is the Lord?’ (Jeremiah 2:6a). They no longer recount and recite the mighty acts of salvation. They forget the love that saved them. They suffer from self-induced spiritual amnesia. This is a reminder for Christians to thank God daily for salvation in Jesus Christ. Recount and recite the saving acts of God in history. Remember what God has done in your life. The road to spiritual adultery begins when you stop reveling in the love of God. Few Christians plan to fall into grievous sin. It is only after falling that they realize they have drifted away from the God of love.”[2]
Chuck Larsen
For all previous daily devotions go to www.chucklarsen.com
[1] John Guest and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, Jeremiah, Lamentations, vol. 19, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1988), 33.
[2] Philip Graham Ryken, Jeremiah and Lamentations: From Sorrow to Hope, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2001), 40.