Forgetting God's Goodness
Later, after they crossed to the other side of the lake, the disciples discovered they had forgotten to bring any bread. "Watch out!" Jesus warned them. "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
- Matthew 16:5
Have you ever forgotten God's goodness to you? Have you ever had to relearn something? I know I have. And the disciples did too. Matthew's Gospel tells us that on one occasion, the disciples had forgotten to bring bread on their journey, and they were worried about it. The feeding of the 5,000 had happened only days earlier. Then there was another miracle of the feeding of the 4,000. So what happened? They forgot. That is what happened.
Jesus essentially told them, "Do you guys remember those miracles I did? Remember the feeding of the 5,000 that involved a little boy with some loaves and fish?"
God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The same God who was there for you in the past will be with you here in the present. And He will be there for you in the future as well.
We forget that, however. When you are young and just starting out in life, you have to trust God for everything: food, clothes, transportation, and a paycheck. But then maybe you find a good job and work hard. You are diligent. You save. You invest. Things are going really well. You don't have to really worry much about your day-to-day needs. And then one day the boss calls you in and says, "With this economy, we will have to let some people go. We are really sorry, but this is your last day." Now you are back to square one. You are panicking. You are wondering what you will do.
Did God provide for you in the past? Yes, He did. Will He take care of you in the present? Yes, He will. We forget these things, and we need to relearn them again and again-just like the disciples.