Forgetting God

Occasionally I come across Scripture that resonates so deeply that I’m compelled to say aloud, “I do that!” I recognize both the human condition and my own very personal tendencies so clearly in Scripture that I have to stop reading immediately and start a conversation with its Author. Today was like that as I read through the final chapters of the book of Hosea. It wasn’t dissimilar to seeing someone in a garment I own, and thinking, “I have that dress!” But there was an element of conviction to it that went beyond something akin to sartorial recognition. Take a look at this passage and see if you know what I mean:

"But I am the LORD your God, 


who brought you out of Egypt. 


You shall acknowledge no God but me, 


no Savior except me.

I cared for you in the desert, 


in the land of burning heat.

When I fed them, they were satisfied; 


when they were satisfied, they became proud; 


then they forgot me. (Hosea 12:4-6)

That last verse really hit me: when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me. I do that! And I’m not the only one. All through the Old Testament there are copious examples of God’s people turning away from Him to walk in their own strength and in their own sin once the disaster that threatened had been taken care of.

By God.

As if to say, “Thanks, God. We’ll take it from here. And next time we get ourselves into trouble, we expect you to be there to bail us out again, even if we completely ignore you in the meantime and devote our hearts and lives to something else.” These may not be the actual words we use, but it’s what we mean when we aren’t consistent and disciplined about spending time with God and submitting to Him because of the love relationship He initiated with us.

God hasn’t been ambiguous in His aspirations for us. From the time He chose Moses and the nation of Israel as His own people, God has been relentless in communicating His passion for His people and His desire for them to pursue Him and devote themselves wholly to Him. So singular has this message been, in fact, that it can be traced throughout almost every major and minor prophet in the Old Testament. We also see the fulfillment of the message every time Jesus spoke and in every miracle He performed in the gospels. To make it a hat trick, the New Testament writers remind readers again and again to come back to God and nothing but God to live abundant and peaceful lives.

So what is it about human nature that perpetuates this tension between His goodness and our forgetfulness?

How is it that we remember so often and so naturally to pour out our deepest pain and cry out to Him in desperation but so quickly forget the source of our comfort?

The crazy variable isn’t God, I can assure you.

I see one thing more than any other that leads us away from our Healer and Provider when things are going well. And God points it out through Hosea in this passage. Pride. We run to God in times of pain because we have reached the end of ourselves. So often that’s exactly where He wants us. Humble and honest. But not so He can gloat over our neediness or exploit our weakness; He wants us to come to Him in all of our circumstances because that’s how we cultivate the relationship. And relationship is among God’s highest priorities. Our pride when life is rolling along nicely prevents us from doing that. Instead we think that God has surely equipped us to make it on our own, but we were the ones who really put in the necessary effort so we can feel justified in taking some of that glory that belongs to our Maker and puff up our egos with it instead. Or we are simply so absorbed in our own thoughts and lives that we don’t care to think about God or anybody else. Again, we would never utter those actual sentences to the other members in a Bible study, but it’s what we’re communicating to God when we forget where our blessings come from and refuse to acknowledge Him. We think we did it ourselves. Or worse, that we are just enjoying the reward we deserve.

Why should we acknowledge God in good times and in bad? Because He’s God and He says so. Unfortunately for us, it comes down to that sometimes. Recently I heard a friend explain so eloquently how she tried to help her children understand that sometimes obedience comes first and explanation comes (or not) later. The most beautiful part of her story was when she quoted herself to her daughter, saying, “I just need you to do this now and trust that I know what’s best for you. Sometimes there are grown-up things that I just don’t want you to have to deal with right now, so trust me and do what I’ve asked you to.” This is exactly the message God sends to us! I was struck immediately by the loving, wise and parental tone that my friend has toward her children and that God has toward us. In spite of our pride.

It definitely takes discipline to train ourselves to acknowledge and praise God when there are few challenges to drive us into His presence. But training ourselves is exactly what we must do. Build in our times of peace, if you will. (Where have I heard that before....?) Habitual worship reminds us of the God we serve and the God who has given us blessing and provision when we deserve death. This can be regular church attendance, singing songs that are based on Scripture, reading the Bible, or anything else that brings us back again and again to what is true about God.

He is the Lord our God, who has brought us out of slavery and into freedom. He has cared for us in our financial, emotional, and spiritual deserts when the glaring heat of life’s trials threatened to evaporate the living water right out of us. And He has provided for us: food, shelter, love, and a Savior who tore the veil in the temple that separated us from His forgiveness and eternity in His presence by His death and resurrection. When pride wipes our memories clean of those things, we deeply offend the One who loves us most. We already have more than we could ever earn and if God never did another thing for us, He would still be just and good and loving. So acknowledging His perfect character and devoting our lives to understanding and loving Him are appropriate responses.

What do I have that you did not give? There’s nothing that I can see. So all I have to give to you is what you’ve given me. (Margaret Becker, “All I Ever Wanted”)






• Read Exodus 20:1-6 and Deuteronomy 8:16-18. According to these passages what has God done for man? What are man’s warnings or instructions?


• In what practical ways do you proactively seek God and praise Him for what is true about Him and thank Him for what He has done in your life?


•Do you find yourself needing to repent of pride after reading the Scripture in this lesson? Where else in Scripture have you recognized yourself in good ways or bad ways? How do you interact with God on those occasions?