Disappointed, crushed, angry, and then depressed only begin describing my emotions after the pastor nonchalantly apologized for forgetting my request. As I approached graduation from Graduate School, I anticipated fulfilling my longtime dream of teaching in a Bible College. In the church bulletin, I noticed the President of a major Bible College was preaching the Sunday services. I contacted the pastor and asked if he would introduce me. “Sure, in fact we can grab a bite to eat after the evening service. I’ll call you.” I bubbled over with hope all week thinking that God was providing this opportunity. After the Sunday morning service, I waited by the phone all afternoon—no call. “Well, he’ll see me at the evening service,” I reassured myself. The service ended but before I reached the pastor, he and his guest slipped out the side door. Trying to suppress my disappointment, I called the next day. “Oh! I am so sorry; I forgot all about you wanting to meet the President.” To say the least, the remainder of my week was not a happy time.
Not the first time I’d been forgotten neither would it be the last time. I doubt any of us could begin counting the number of times someone forgot. In fact, through the years, I experienced moments when I even wondered if God had forgotten me. Take note of those in the Bible who also experienced the same feeling. David wrote, How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever (Ps 13:1)? The sons of Korah composed a song, Why do You hide Your face And forget our affliction and our oppression (Psa 44:24)? Jeremiah wrote his funeral dirge after the destruction of Jerusalem. Why do You forget us forever? Why do You forsake us so long (Lam 5:20)? All of them expressed their deepest emotions questioning if the Lord forgot.
The story of Joseph best illustrates someone forgotten. Sold into slavery by his brothers, then falsely accused of rape, and thrown in prison, he later referred to this time as his troubled past and the land of affliction. Joseph saw a glimmer of hope when Pharaoh placed his cupbearer and his baker in custody. The captain of the guard assigned Joseph as their personal attendant. Both had a dream on the same night that Joseph interpreted. For baker, Pharaoh would hang him in three days. For the cupbearer, Joseph’s interpretation brought good news. In three days, Pharaoh would restore him to his position. Joseph pleaded with the cupbearer, But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison (Genesis 40:14).
Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him (Gen 40:23). Scripture doesn’t say, but we can imagine for the first few days or maybe weeks, Joseph’s heart fluttered a bit, each time someone came to the prison, hoping they would deliver news of his release. Surely, each disappointment caused his hope to wane. Forgotten by man, but not forgotten or forsaken by the Lord. Think for a moment, what if the cupbearer had remembered and Pharaoh released Joseph. Would he return to a life as a slave, or maybe an ordinary citizen, or return to Canaan? God preordained a specific plan for Joseph. During the years of difficulty, God prepared him for His eternal purpose. Psalms 105:19 explains that the word of the Lord tested him. The word tested means ‘refined’. God refined Joseph through the afflictions and equipped him for the task of saving the nation of Egypt and his father Jacob and family in Canaan from a famine. After two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream but no-one could interpret them for him. Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I remember my faults.” He remembered Joseph and that he interpreted his dream. Pharaoh sent for Joseph and in one day, at God’s appointed time, he was elevated from prisoner to prime minister.
We all feel forgotten at times, even by God. Then we must rely on scripture. God remembered Noah; God remembered Abraham; God remembered Rachel; and God remembered His covenant. Nineteen times the Bible directly states that God remembered. Yet, despite these assurances, waiting with nothing happening—no release from our prison, no letter, no phone call, no open door—can lead to spiritual fatigue and despair that we are both forgotten and forsaken. Jesus felt the same way. He cried out on the cross, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?”
After my pastor forgot me, a fellow minister gave me a verse that sustained me through that period and on many occasions since. For God is not unjust so as to forget your work (Heb. 6:10). Like Joseph, I later understood God was preparing me for something far greater than a mere teaching position.
Sustaining Word for the Week: God leads us through difficult times in order to refine us and prepare us for His eternal purpose. Forgotten by man, but not forgotten or forsaken by the Lord.