[God] remembered us in our low estate, for His lovingkindness is everlasting… (Psalm 136:23)

So glad God has a good memory. By good, I mean He remembers well according to His goodness. After all, Scripture does speak of His forgetfulness, in the sense that He chooses not to remember. “I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins” (Is 43:25, see also Jer 31:34).

But there are times when God’s judgment is compared with human forgetfulness: “Why do You forget us forever? Why do You forsake us so long?” (Lam 5:20). His forgetting is not a case of cosmic amnesia, like someone forgetting where the car keys got left. This is, rather, a choice by God to treat people in a way that looks very much like God has forgotten them. Israel’s sin had become so bad, and had tested God’s patience to such a degree, that He treated them in a way that made them think He had forgotten them, as though He just didn’t care enough about them to even think about them.

The psalm writer wrestles with this: “Why do You hide Your face and forget our affliction and our oppression?” (Ps 44:24). “How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?” (Ps 13:1). Nothing can be worse in a relationship than to feel marginalized, ignored, forgotten.

However, God, being gracious and merciful, will not maintain that posture forever, for His “knee-jerk” reaction is always to hear any human cry to Him for help. “For He who requires blood remembers them; He does not forget the cry of the afflicted” (Ps 9:12). “He remembered His covenant for their sake, and relented according to the greatness of His lovingkindness” (Ps 106:45).

We sometimes pray, “Lord, remember me ….” We are not asking God to tie a string on His finger as a way to remind Himself at the appropriate time. We are asking God to make His presence active and come to help us. In reality, we don’t need to tell God what to do; He is infinitely wise and gracious—we can be assured that He “is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us…” (Eph 3:20). We approach Him because He is “Our Father, who is in heaven,” who from His perspective oversees all things. Therefore, our most simple prayer to Him is this: “Lord, remember me,” just like the thief on the cross petitioned the Savior in anticipation of the kingdom (Luke 23:42). We may qualify this in various ways, but ultimately, we simply want Yahweh to remember us, as He promised.

Lord, remember me, that I might continue to live in Your blessing.