Daily Devotional – Wednesday, August 12, 2026
Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples!
1 Chronicles 16:8 (NKJV)
A mother never forgets the first time her child walks. She watches those little legs wobble, holds her breath with every step, and likely celebrates more than the child even knows. For a while, every new step feels like something worth noticing. Then the child learns to walk properly, starts running around the house, and life goes on. The mother does not stop loving the child or appreciating the milestone. She simply becomes used to it. Something similar can happen with God. We can pray for something for a long time, receive it, and then become so used to it that we forget how much it once meant.
When You Forget the Prayers God Already Answered
That seems to be part of what David was guarding against when the ark was brought to Jerusalem. There was celebration, music, and thanksgiving, but David did not want the moment to disappear into history. He gave the Levites a song that began, “Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples!” In other words, remember what God has done. Keep turning to Him, and do not be afraid to tell others about His faithfulness. Israel had experienced too much of God’s goodness to simply move on as though nothing had happened.
We know how easy it is to do exactly that. We pray for a job, and when it comes, we quickly start worrying about the next thing. We pray for a difficult situation to settle down, and once it does, we rarely mention the answer again. We ask God to provide; He does, and somehow the provision becomes ‘normal.’ There is nothing wrong with getting on with life. The problem comes when we become so used to God’s goodness that we stop recognising it. Then, when another difficult season comes, we can find ourselves wondering where God has been, even though our lives carry plenty of evidence that He has been there all along.
When You Stop Noticing God’s Blessings
Maybe you need to look back today. Not because you want to live in the past, but because you may have forgotten some things you once considered impossible without God’s help. Think about the door that opened at the right time, the person God placed in your path, the prayer that was eventually answered, or the strength you somehow found when you had very little left. Some answers may have arrived so quietly that you barely noticed them. Others may have come differently from what you expected. They still deserve to be remembered. Your present difficulty does not cancel the faithfulness you have already experienced.
So before you rush through today, stop for a moment and thank God for something you have become accustomed to receiving. Then talk to Him about what is troubling you now. You do not have to pretend that everything is fine. Bring the real concern. Finally, tell someone about one thing God has done for you. It does not need to be an extraordinary story. Sometimes telling a friend, “I honestly don’t know how I would have got through that without God,” is a testimony in itself. We need those reminders. And perhaps someone around you needs to hear your testimony. Don’t let an answered prayer become a forgotten memory.
Prayer
Lord, help me notice the things I have grown accustomed to receiving from You, remember Your faithfulness, and speak honestly about Your goodness.
