Without thinking too hard, I bet you can remember a time when you were insulted. Maybe someone called you stupid or ugly or a know-it-all or four eyes. It takes a little more effort to remember a time when someone was kind—and you believed it. The bad stuff gets burned into our minds, and we forget all the compliments. That’s how human memory works.
That’s why I’m glad God’s memory works the exact opposite of ours. King David asked, “Remember, O Lord, your compassionate and merciful deeds. They have existed from eternity. Do not remember the sins of my youth or my rebellious ways. Remember me, O Lord, in keeping with your mercy and your goodness” (Psalm 25:7).
Because he sees all of our sins and can even see inside our sinful hearts, you’d think those memories would be burned into God’s mind. Instead, because he sent Jesus to pay for the times you break his laws, God chooses to say, “Sins? What sins? I don’t see any sins.”
Thanks to Jesus, God cannot forget who he is and what he has done for his people. He cannot forget that he is kind and compassionate.
Dear God, you have always been compassionate and merciful. When you look at me every day, remember what Jesus has done for me and look at me with your favor. Also, please forget my sins, the ones I do when I am foolish and rebellious. You are God and you know everything, so thank you for choosing to not make me pay for my sins. Amen.
