Don’t forget your Maker!

Hosea 8:14

For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples; and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.

This is a great condemnation! It is a fearful judgment! That Israel had forgotten his Maker. But is this not easy to do? Has not our beloved America forgotten her Maker? Although many are seeking to beckon this nation back to the Lord, still, we as a nation have forgotten much of what the Lord has done in the beginning and inception of this nation. We have forgotten the foundation! We have forgotten the One who birthed all this and created it for our good! We have forgotten our Maker! And it is a dreadful day when we forget our Maker. For that is the beginning of the downward slope. That is the beginning of the slide downwards from which it is close to impossible to revert course. Only by a divine and miraculous act of God will it be reversed!

But, my dear friends, we must think for ourselves, and we must ask whether we are remembering God personally and individually. It is an easy thing and almost an enjoyable thing to talk about the faults of others in forgetting God. But what about us? Do we remember every day, and do we meditate frequently and often about the goodness of God and where we have come from? Don’t forget your Maker! Without Him, you would surely be lost and nothing. There are signs listed here that serve as indications of when there has been a turn from the Lord. First, they built temples. This means they looked to other things other than God. They were worshipping false gods. They built temples to the gods of the heathen, and to the sun and moon, and to the pagan deities about them. But have we looked for help and comfort in things other than God? Have we looked to anyone but our Maker for our sustenance and our guidance? We must not forget our Maker.

They also multiplied fenced cities. This means that they looked to themselves for confidence and strength. They found their fortification and their anchorage in their own selves. But this is fickle and unreliable! We cannot trust in ourselves. We shall fail! The many fenced cities will not save us in the day of the Lord’s displeasure. For you see, the horse is prepared against the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord. Let us say with the psalmist, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.” We will remember! Remember what the Lord has done! Remember His strength and power! And remember that you have no strength apart from Him. Do not forget your Maker!

“Father, we recognize this morning that all the power is in you. May we never trust in ourselves or in our abilities or wit. For we are insufficient. But Thou, Lord, art all-sufficient. May we always remember Thee, Lord, our Maker. We are your people, and the sheep of your pasture. Let us not forget you in the midst of our attempts to conquer the difficulties of life. In all days, whether they be pleasant days, or unpleasant, let us never look to other refuges or to ourselves, but help us to remember our Maker. And we pray these things in Jesus’ name, Amen.”