God Has Not Forgotten You

When Christ came, the people of God had not heard a fresh word from the Lord in centuries. In fact, the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi, was written around 440-400 B.C. After generations of silence, the people were longing to hear from God, waiting for Him to fulfill His promises. In such seasons of waiting, it’s often tempting to think that God has forgotten us.

The songs surrounding the birth of Christ in Luke 1 echo the sentiment that God has not forgotten His people. Mary sings, “He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy” (Luke 1:54 NKJV). The prophet Zechariah sings, “He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred covenant—the covenant he swore with an oath to our ancestor Abraham” (Luke 1:72–73 NLT).

God “remembered” His mercy, covenant, and promises. When the Bible says that God “remembers” … it does not merely mean that something is brought to God’s attention or imply that He forgot something. It means He fixes His attention on something and acts on it.

In the Christmas story, then, we see God turning His attention to His promises and acting on them to fulfill His Word. We see God, in mercy, fix His attention on us and act on our behalf by sending Christ to save us. So be encouraged—God has not forgotten you!