Scripture: Psalm 105:8 – “He is mindful of his covenant forever, of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations…” (NRSV)
According to the National Centre for Biotechnology Information, the average human attention span is only eight seconds. We jump from idea to idea, and unless our attention is grabbed by flashy graphics or charismatic personalities or controversial viewpoints, we simply move on to the next thing. In our never-ending flitting through life, it can be easy to forget things, not only what we had for breakfast two days ago, but also the parts of life that truly matter.
When we are worried about keeping our stressful jobs or paying our mortgages or rents or helping our children with homework or checking up on social media to see what our friends are doing, we forget about God. Only when we are in set aside times like church or in times of great anxiety does God come to mind. The rest of the time, we feel like we are on our own. And if those feelings overwhelm us, there will probably be something else to grab our attention in eight seconds.
When we forget to think about God, we get into trouble, prioritizing our appetites and fears and trading long term happiness for immediate gratification. We forget that all good things in life come ultimately from God. And the more we chase after fleeting pleasures, the more distant we become.
But as Psalm 105 reminds us, God is mindful of the covenant, for a thousand generations. We may forget in our distractable states, but God does not. We can look at this teaching one of two ways. The first is that God is judgmental, keeping track of our sins even when we forget. The proper response to this is fear. And while I think everyone can use a wake-up call to selfish behavior now and then, I do not think this is the best way to relate to God. The second is that God maintains the promise of protection and the trust in our faith even when we forget. The proper response to this is thanksgiving, which I maintain is always the best way to start our prayers to God. The more we remember, the more we slow down our eight-second brains to focus on God, the better connected we are to the divine and the more cognizant we are of the big picture of love and justice.
There are times when we are cooking or cleaning or rushing around that we forget God’s covenant. But God never forgets. And when we remember, that is when we find ultimate peace and joy.
Prayer – Lord God of eternity, help us to focus our minds on you and your promises. Amen.
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