Episode Summary: "Lest You Forget the Lord"

Podcast: Things Unseen with Sinclair B. Ferguson
Date: January 27, 2026
Host: Sinclair B. Ferguson (Ligonier Ministries)

Brief Overview

In this reflective weekday devotional, Sinclair B. Ferguson meditates on the biblical theme of remembering the Lord amid life’s distractions and spiritual struggles. Drawing from Deuteronomy and Psalm 102, Ferguson addresses the human tendency to forget God—not by abandoning belief, but by allowing self-centeredness, pain, or routine to cloud our spiritual focus. The episode encourages listeners to break cycles of spiritual forgetfulness and find renewal by recalling God’s character and faithfulness.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Command to Remember

• Biblical Emphasis: Ferguson highlights the repeated biblical warning “take care lest you forget the Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:12; 8:11). He notes the unusual negative phrasing, suggesting it is meant to jar us into awareness.

  “Why should God have issued such a wake up call to his people and through them to us? I think perhaps because it’s so easy for us to think… the one thing I’ll never forget is the Lord.” (01:03)

• Spiritual Amnesia: He challenges the assumption that, because of past spiritual experiences, it would be impossible to forget God. Instead, Ferguson points out that, over time, spiritual memory can fade—not through denial of God, but by neglecting to reflect on His attributes and presence.

The Paradox of Forgetting and Feeling Forgotten

• Misinterpreting Reality: Ferguson discusses the paradox that when we forget God, we often feel that it is actually He who has forgotten us.

  “It’s one of the great paradoxes of spiritual life. We have forgotten him, but we misinterpret reality and we think he has forgotten us.” (02:07)

Illustration from Psalm 102

• Spiritual Depression: Drawing from Psalm 102, Ferguson describes the psalmist’s journey through misery and self-focus—marked by repeated use of “I,” “me,” and “my.”

  “He’s used the word ‘I’ six times, the word ‘me’ seven times, and the word ‘my’ eleven times. And that’s the problem… We are... incurvatus in se, turned in upon ourselves. We’re remembering ourselves, but we’re not remembering the Lord.” (03:42)

• The Turning Point: In verse 12, a dramatic shift occurs with the words, “But you, Lord…” Ferguson likens this to starting an engine—the psalmist’s focus pivots from self to God, recalling God’s sovereignty and mercy.

  “It’s as if he’s pressed the ignition switch. The engine of grace has been fired up. The spiritual memory file has unfrozen. He looks outward and upward. He looks Bible-ward. And he begins to remember.” (04:20)

The Impact of Remembering God

• Renewed Perspective: As the psalmist remembers God’s everlasting nature and mercy, his hopelessness gives way to faith in a future for God’s people and hope for his descendants.

  “Earlier in the psalm, he felt isolated, turned in upon himself, and he had forgotten God and life was no longer worth living. But when he remembers God… he’s talking about his grandchildren knowing the Lord’s blessing.” (05:10)

• Practical Application: Ferguson encourages listeners, when feeling spiritually isolated or forgotten, to actively turn their attention to the Lord by saying, “But you, Lord”—affirming God’s presence and faithfulness.

  “If we have forgotten him, the first step of recovery is to say out loud, ‘but you, Lord… Lord, I remember you, and I know you have never forgotten me and that you are there and I’m coming to you now. Lift me up and restore me.’ And like the man who wrote Psalm 102, he surely will.” (05:44)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On our tendency to forget God:

  “Perhaps he’s intervened in your life in some way. And you’ve said, from now on it is impossible for me ever to forget the Lord. And yet before too long you’ve begun to forget him again.” (01:24)

• On spiritual introspection:

  “We are, as [Martin Luther] put it, incurvatus in se, turned in upon ourselves.” (03:56)

• On the turning point in Psalm 102:

  “It’s actually just two words in Hebrew, but you, Lord. But you, Lord, are…” (04:16)

Timestamps of Key Segments

• [00:08] – Introduction and recap of previous episode’s theme about remembering
• [01:03] – Why God warns, “lest you forget the Lord”
• [02:07] – Paradox: forgetting God, feeling forgotten by Him
• [03:42] – Analysis of Psalm 102 and its use of personal pronouns
• [04:16] – The pivotal “But you, Lord…” moment
• [05:10] – Transformation as the psalmist remembers God
• [05:44] – Application for listeners: recovering spiritual memory

Conclusion

Ferguson concludes with a practical call: when you sense spiritual forgetfulness settling in, echo the psalmist’s words, “But you, Lord,” and trust in God’s abiding faithfulness. In remembering Him, believers move from isolation toward renewed hope and restored perspective—because God never forgets His people.