HUMANS ARE FORGETFUL BEINGS. Sometimes our forgetfulness is fairly innocent: misplaced keys, a lost phone, or a wrong turn. At other times, our absentmindedness has a greater and costlier impact: missed family milestones, neglected relationships, or lapsed promises. And perhaps most significantly, it is possible for us to forget God.

We may live and breath and journey through life, yet do so entirely unaware of the nearness of God and his desire to be known by us. Into this spiritual amnesia, the Psalms today are a source of incredible hope. Though we may forget God and fail to remember him, he remembers us and sustains our every moment.

Any movement away from forgetfulness and into a true knowledge of who we are in Christ is celebrated and cherished by our Lord. God remembers our offerings (Ps 20:3), even when we forget them. Though our hearts and minds may stray, he delights in our movement towards his mercy and in love and gentleness reminds us of who we are in him.

In this way, Lent is a journey of remembrance. As our Lord remembers, knows, and upholds us, our memory is restored to us. Quite literally, we are re-membered as we are held in the memory of God. We learn, slowly but surely, who we are and whose we are.

Inhabit (a devotional journal for Lent by Dwell)