By Jade-lee Herman
For he shall not much remember the days of his life; *because God answereth him in the joy of his heart.~ Ecclesiastes 5:20 KJV
*NEW KJV – “because God keeps him Busy with the joy of his heart.”
The question has been posed is, “Is praying to forget, good?”
The follow up question would be, “Is God allowing our brains to forget, a direct answer to this prayer?”
Is forgetting good?
Neurologists have concluded that we, humans, use a maximum of 10% of our brains.
Now psychology suggests that Selective/ motivated forgetting is a defence mechanism (theorized) in which people may forget unwanted harmful memories, either consciously or unconsciously. Also known as suppressing and repressing memories.
Repression is defined as: unconsciously
Suppression: is making the decision to forget.
Because most people find themselves in a deep state of depression upon the resurfacing of these memories, this makes repressed memories dangerous. Some of these people may require institutionalisation. Now these memories may resurface at any time. The mind is unfortunately not able to survive the emotional trauma of these suppressed incidents. Leading to suicide and self loathing.
Now many of us do not repress our memories, but technically you would not know it until your psychologist has informed you thusly.
Suppressing memories can only lead to more heart ache, should the memory return, you are still to have to deal with it emotionally. Ecclesiastes 12:14 “For God will bring every deed into judgement, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” NIV
And worse still if it is a result of our own actions, we can be sure that it has not been forgotten by God. UNLESS…
1. We depend on Him fully.
We need to search God’s word for comfort just as we would call a friend. You may be sick or hurting because of your own actions. Just as it is in fire’s nature to burn, so it is in sin’s nature to destroy us.
Psalm 23:4 “…your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Job 11:13 -17 “Yet if you devote your heart to him and stretch out your hands to him, if you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent, then you will lift up your face without shame; you will stand firm and without fear. You will surely forget your trouble, recalling it as only waters gone by. Life will be brighter than noonday, and darkness will become like morning.”
Lamentations 3:40 “Let us search and try our ways and turn again to our God.”
2. We accept that forgetting is not God’s will for us
By allowing the belief that suppressing memories is helpful and good, the devil has removed the need for us to remember and repent.
And is that not his main aim? To render the need for Salvation or a law of God useless? He is spreading the message that we don’t need forgiveness, all we need to do is to forget?
Memories are never truly lost; therapy or a photograph may lead to the remembrance. But did God create this defence mechanism? Forgetting is usually due to the absence of peace. And if God offers peace that surpasses all understanding, how could He be in favour of suppressing memories?
The devil has slyly rationalised the need of our memory suppression. He has devised a way for people to think they have found a semblance of peace by in fact destroying our mind or our sanity.
The most common cause for institutionalised depressed patients’ depression; is the resurfacing of repressed and suppressed hurtful memories.
Many of us suppress memories. We consciously decide to forget the pain that sin has inflicted on us. Pain like a broken heart, the memory of a spouse’s infidelity, abuse in all its forms, phone numbers, lyrics to a song etc.
Take note; search within your own experiences the things you wish to forget. Of what are they a result of? Sin? Either your own transgression or someone else’s. Some may pray to forget, because they know that the God they serve is compassionate. Somehow we have concluded that forgetting our pain is something that God has permitted us to do. We assume that which we do not remember no longer exists. Ecclesiastes 1:15 “… what is lacking cannot be counted” NIV
Let the desire to forget no longer linger within us.
God said, Isaiah 43:25, “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins. “ NKJV
NIV 26 “Review the past for me, let us argue the matter together; state the case for your innocence.”
We should pray to remember that which hurts us. So we may forgive and ask for forgiveness where it is due.
Genesis 1:31 “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” NIV
Let us live happily and peacefully, by accepting Jesus as our saviour and comfort. Let us return to our first love. A love that will never break our hearts and forgives and forgets accordingly. Through Him we can overcomes our fear, grief and sin …. So that we may be with Him in paradise.
Revelations 2:7 NKJV
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”
