TOPIC: GOD DOES NOT FORGET
MEMORIZE:
Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Isaiah 49:15
READ: 1 Samuel 1:9-20
9 So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD.
10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.
11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.
12 And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth.
13 Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.
14 And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.
15 And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD.
16 Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.
17 Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.
18 And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.
19 And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her.
20 Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD.
MESSAGE
Phrases like 'God remembered', as seen in today's Bible reading, might look strange because God knows the end from the beginning and cannot forget anything. However, when the Bible uses that phrase, it doesn't mean that God forgot anything, but at that moment, He decided to pay attention to something in particular. If God has made promises to you in the past, rest assured that He has not forgotten about them. They will surely come to pass at the appointed time.
In 1979, my Father in the Lord, Pa Josiah Akindayomi, and a few of us attended a Kenneth Hagin camp meeting in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. The meeting ended on a Saturday, so we worshipped at a nearby church on Sunday. As it was our first visit, we were made to sit in the front row. During the sermon, the preacher suddenly got down from the altar, stood before Pa Akindayomi, and said, "Thus saith the Lord, that which I promised you is about to come to pass." Pa Akindayomi didn't understand English, so he asked me, "What did he say?" Because I didn't want to miss the rest of the sermon, I said, "I'll tell you when we get to the hotel, sir." When we got to the hotel, he asked again.
After I told him, he started crying. God had told him in 1952, "I am starting a church through you, and it will be known around the whole world." At that time, the church was still only in South-West Nigeria. The old man was already preparing to go to heaven, so he thought that God had forgotten His promise. Today, God has taken RCCG to 197 nations in the world and still counting.
Has God promised you anything? Rest assured that He will fulfil it. However, His promises will only be fulfilled in His time. After many years of serving God faithfully, Zachariah and Elisabeth remained barren and must have thought that God had forgotten them. The God who does not forget visited them at His appointed time and gave them a son (Luke 1:5-25). God's plan was to give them a great prophet who would be the forerunner of Jesus. When people thought it was too late for them to have a child, God said, "Now, it is time to attend to this matter."
Beloved, men can forget their promises, but God can never forget His promises to you. Keep trusting Him, and He will fulfil His promises in your life at His appointed time.
KEY POINT
God does not forget His promises; He will fulfil them at the appointed time.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE
HYMN 5: BLESSED ASSURANCE
1 Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine;
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.
2 Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
3 Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest;
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
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