"Pardon Me"

"Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell thereof." (Psalms 98:7)
As much as I would like to take credit for some of things God does, I know that He would not like me to do that; I have read what happened to a certain king who proclaimed he had done this and that, he ended up eating grass and loosing his mind for a little while. I had to take a moment and enjoy thinking on this, because this is really no small deal; as a matter of fact, this is almost something beyond anything we could ever begin to imagine or dream about. First of all, how is it that God needs to be reminded of anything? I have heard Pastor Mike say it time and again, "God does not learn," as if it were something new or something that He did not know already; so then, why is it that God needs to be reminded? Once upon a time I did not have a heart; up until about the age of twenty or so, I would have not given it a second thought to take an animal's life, whether it was a game animal or just something in my way, if I felt like killing it, then it was as good as dead. Now I swerve to avoid little tiny squirrels on the highway, even at the risk of causing myself to be in danger. Why does God need a rainbow to remind Him of His promise regarding the flood? Maybe it might be the fact that God has a heart. After all, He has given us a heart, and we are made in His image; so maybe it is God's heart that needs reminding. God knows all things, so it cannot be that He cannot remember; but just a prick of the heart is more powerful than a ton of memories or knowledge. I remember when I was doing a teaching on the Flood, and how I was taken by how many times God repeated saying, "And all that had breath perished," because it was really a pretty big deal to God that He had to kill everyone and everything that breathed air. It was a pretty big deal; so much so, that God said that He had regretted making man; so you know it really had to hurt His heart. Now, imagine how much God wants to save us; I mean really, imagine what it might be like if you were Him, and if you had the power to save, not only a life, but the whole world. Why would anyone not want to be a part of that? Yes, I thought so...
"This is what the LORD says: "At just the right time, I will respond to you. On that day of salvation I will help you. I will protect you and give you to the people as my covenant with them. Through you I will reestablish the land of Israel and assign it to its own people again. I will say to the prisoners, 'Come out in freedom,' and to those in darkness, 'Come into the light.' They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures and on hills that were previously bare. They will neither hunger nor thirst. The searing sun will not reach them anymore. For the LORD in his mercy will lead them; he will lead them beside the cool waters. And I will make my mountains into level paths for them. The highways will be raised above the valleys. See, my people will return from far away, from the lands to the north and west, and from as far south as Egypt. Sing for joy, O heavens! Rejoice, O earth! Burst into song, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted his people and will have compassion on them in their suffering. Yet Jerusalem says, "The LORD has deserted us; the Lord has forgotten us." "Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if it were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands. Always in my mind is a picture of Jerusalem's walls in ruins."" (Isaiah 49:8-16) NLT