The Sea of Forgetfulness

Pastor Blake Cromwell
September '02

This year I will turn 50 and I am not lamenting the loss of my youthful strength or stamina, but my loss of short-term memory. All my life I have had the ability to remember little details such as numbers and dates. Now I find that not only can I not remember what I did last night, but I keep missing appointments too.

My children tease me that my “senior moments” are really senility setting in. They have encouraged me to sign over my bank accounts before I can’t remember their names. The only good I can see as a result of this problem is that I no longer can fixate on small problems. How can you worry about something when you don’t remember it?

God has a good forgetter too. But His forgetfulness is based upon a decision He makes not a sign of age. The Bible teaches us that, “He remembers no more our sins.”

Bruce Larson tells the true story of a Catholic priest who lived in the Philippines, a much-beloved man of God who carried a secret burden of long-past sin buried deep in his heart. He had committed the sin only once, many years before, during his time in college. No one else knew of this sin. He had repented of it and had suffered years of remorse for it, but he still had no peace, nor inner joy — no sense of God’s forgiveness.

A woman in his parish who had a deep love for God claimed to have spiritual dreams in which she spoke with Christ. The priest, however, was doubtful of her claims, so to test her visions he said asked her, “The next time you have one of these visions, I want you to ask Christ what sin your priest committed while he was in college.”

The woman agreed and went home. When she returned to the church a few days later, the priest said, “Well, did Christ visit you in your dreams?”
“Yes, He did,” she replied.
“And did you ask Him what sin I committed in college?”
“Yes, I asked Him.”
“Well, what did He say?”
He said, “I don’t remember.”

God wants us to realize that His forgiveness includes His forgetfulness. We all know people who say they have forgiven but their forgiveness is only verbal. They still resent and silently mistrust. They hold on to it, which creates a wall between them and the person who has sought their forgiveness.

But God’s forgiveness is perfect. There are no walls between you and Him because He refuses to remember the sins you confess. You have a clear record, for He has placed your sins in the “Sea of Forgiveness.” One preacher said, “God has thrown your sins in the Sea of Forgetfulness and put a sign there that reads, “No Fishing Allowed.”

I don’t know about you, but I have some history that I want to be thrown in the “Sea of Forgetfulness.” The good news of Jesus Christ is that He can and will place your sins in that sea, all we must do is ask.