A couple of months ago, I spent a day in Washington, DC. The whole city is basically a collection of symbols—monuments, memorials, marble buildings—each one designed to remind us of important people and moments in American history. Some of them are stirring and inspiring. Some are puzzling and forgettable. They represent every category you can imagine—military, ethnic, political, religious, regional. We’ve spent billions building, protecting, maintaining, and treasuring these monuments because remembering matters. People before us wanted to make sure generations after them understood the moments and individuals that shaped our nation. Why? Because time has a way of making people forget—even the things we think are unforgettable. Remembering takes intentional effort. And especially when it comes to the things Egypt has zero interest in helping us remember. There are two areas where forgetting is spiritually dangerous: God’s promises and God’s forgiveness. Egypt will gladly help you remember your failures, your fears, your insecurities, your regrets. But it will never help you remember what God has promised you. And it will certainly never help you remember the mercy He has shown you. This week we learn how remembering God’s promises and God’s mercy is critical to surviving in Egypt. Because if we forget who God is, what He has said, and how He has forgiven us, Egypt will shape our identity instead of God.
