Most of us know someone whose family has experienced challenges because of Alzheimer’s disease. I think about this frequently, because it is impacting friends in our church this very day. In fact, some of our church members are participating in an upcoming Fundraiser Walk for Alzheimer’s in honor of those friends or in memory of precious loved ones who have suffered from Alzheimer’s in the past.
This devastating disease causes various changes in personality, abilities and behavior. Individuals who suffer from Alzheimer’s sometimes can’t remember their loved ones. They can get confused and call people by the wrong name, seeming to forget loved ones and assigning to them a different identity. They forget promises they have made and conversations they have had. They can become frightened and distrustful of the people who love them the most.
Fortunately, God will never develop Alzheimer’s!
"Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:21-22
This scripture from Lamentations reminds us Gods compassion to us is renewed every day. He will not forget us; He will remember His promises.
"You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea." Micah 7:19
Yet, we can count on God “forgetting” our sins and wrongdoing. Micah tells us these sins will be hurled into the depths of the sea, sometimes called the “Sea of Forgetfulness.” Isn’t that a precious thought, that God will purposefully forget what makes us unlovable, and love us anyway!
In fact, this is such a wonderful promise that it is made in both the New and Old Testaments. The scripture in Jeremiah is repeated in Hebrews: For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. Jeremiah 31:34, Hebrews 8:12
My prayer today for those whose dear ones are afflicted by Alzheimer’s will not lose the love of the Lord or their salvation. God will do the remembering for them (through His covenant of love), and God will do the forgetting for them (through the Sea of Forgetfulness) and God will comfort and restore them according to His promise.
"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Revelations 21:4-5a
Grace and mercy to you all,
Dolly
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