“Why do You keep on forgetting us?  Why do you forsake us so long?”

Lamentations 5:20

 Last year I went on a trip—I have forgotten where—and on the way home I came to the gate for my flight home on a Saturday night.  I was informed that we were given a much smaller plane than expected and the flight was significantly overbooked.  The gate agents needed about 16 people to get off voluntarily.

 I went up to the counter and explained that I needed to get home tonight so that I could speak in the morning.  The agent looked at my ticket and said, “I will have a seat for you Mr. Gibson but I need to take care of some other things first.  I will call you up when I know which seat you will have.”  I was great with that and I went back away from the congestion and waited for my name to be called.

 I waited quite patiently for a long time.  There were calls for people to get off and negotiating about when they could get home if they got off and would a big group get off together and on and on and on.  The wait continued for more than an hour.  People were getting off and leaving.  People were getting tickets and boarding.  There were very few people left in the gate area.  I got anxious.  I got to thinking they had forgotten me.

 So I walked back up to the counter and said to the agent, “I just want to make sure that you are still remembering me.”  “Yes Mr. Gibson,” he said, “I have your paper right here and we will have a seat for you as soon as we can.”  “Thank you,” I said and I walked back to my place. 

 When I knew I was being remembered I was very content and had no anxiety.  He had my paper right next to his keyboard and he remembered my name and I was assured that he remembered me.  I stood there another half an hour and was the last one on the plane. 

 I was able to be very calm and patient just knowing that the gate agent remembered me and assured me that I would have a seat on the plane. 

 When I believe that God is remembering me and has made promises to me I can also be very calm and patient. 

 If I am afraid that God has forgotten me then I am anxious and impatient.  My circumstances become bigger than life and even bigger than God.  My focus is on the trouble and on the fear that God will not be coming to help me. 

 The truth is that God always remembers us.  In the midst of our most difficult and protracted troubles God remembers us.  Our paper is right beside His keyboard.  He remembers us by name.  He has made promises to us.  He has the power to fulfill His promises.  He has the character to follow through on His promises.  So, be calm and be patient.  God remembers you.

 “Zion said, “The Lord has abandoned me, the sovereign master has forgotten me.  Can a woman forget her baby who nurses at her breast?  Can she withhold compassion from the child she has borne?  Even if mothers were to forget, I could never forget you!”

Isaiah 49:14, 15