NEVER FORGET by Raphael ben Levi
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Eternal, “plans for peace, not evil, to give you a future and hope—never forget that. 12 At that time, you will call out for Me, and I will hear. You will pray, and I will listen.” (Jer 29:11-14)
This beautiful promise for Israel given during a harsh season of Divine judgment largely fell on deaf ears. Who could have imagined that even in the darkest moments of exile would come a message of such comfort and encouragement? Yet, God did so, in the fullness of time, 70 years later, just as He had said. Since then, His eternal purposes have continued to roll forward for His covenant people leaving in its wake a battlefield of twists and turns. Yet, His promises remain unchanged and His faithfulness endures forever!
This is an easy thing to overlook which is why God underlined the point at the end of His first statement to the Jewish people: ‘Never forget!” It recalls things from both a negative and positive perspective. For example, as the Jewish people annually commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day (Yom ha-Shoah) every effort is made to ensure that this unimaginable tragedy will forever be remembered and preserved for future generations – we will never forget! A deeper layer is that God may sometimes appear hidden yet Emanuel – God with us – is closer to us than we can ever imagine even in the most hideous catastrophes perpetrated by humanity. So too, we can treasure, preserve and recall His everlasting, positive and over-riding purposes for our lives amid the imponderables and seemingly contradictory things in life however small, great or insurmountable they may appear.
Remember the words of God should you be in ‘exile’ today and be comforted with a future hope that may well come to fruition sooner than you think. As God’s children, we can stretch forward and collect all the negative pieces of wretchedness in one pile, taking hold of His peace that passes all understanding with a joy that provides strength to carry us through.
Raphael ben Levi
www.rogerlenk.co.za
