Manasseh: God Has Made Me Forget

When I first heard Anna Golden’s song Manasseh, something in my heart stopped. Not because I had never heard the name before, I had read it in Genesis countless times, but because it carried a weight that suddenly felt deeply personal. In Scripture, Joseph names his firstborn son Manasseh, saying:

Genesis 41:51

“It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.”

Joseph had walked through betrayal, rejection, false accusations, and years of being unseen. Yet when God brought him into a new season of blessing, Joseph could name it with confidence: God has made me forget.

Not an erasing of the past, but a redemption so deep that the pain no longer held the same power.

I’ve known the sting of heartbreak from the very place I thought would be safest: the Church. I’ve been misunderstood, excluded, even wounded by words and actions of others. The enemy used that pain to whisper lies: “You can’t trust anyone. Stay away. You’re better off alone.”

And for a while, I listened. I withdrew from my community. I kept my distance. But that is not what the Lord calls us to. From the very beginning, God designed us for community. Hebrews 10:24–25 reminds us:

Hebrews 10:24-25

“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together… but encouraging one another.”

The enemy knows that if he can isolate us, he can weaken us. But God knows that when we walk in fellowship, messy and imperfect as it may be; we grow, we heal, and we reflect His Kingdom.

Here’s the truth I had to face: the Church is made up of broken people. People who will fail, misunderstand, and even hurt each other at times. But it’s still God’s chosen instrument to reach the world, and it’s still the Bride that Christ loves deeply.

Ephesians 5:25-27.

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish."

Slowly, God began to heal what I thought was beyond repair. Through His Word, prayer, and the steady presence of other believers, He gave me a Manasseh moment, a new mindset where I could look at old wounds without the same ache. He reminded me of His promises.

Psalm 34:18

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” 

Joel 2:25

“I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten.” 

Isaiah 43: 18-19

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!” 

The beauty of Manasseh is not that the past disappears, it’s that God redeems it so fully that you are no longer bound by it. He replaces fear with trust, bitterness with compassion, and isolation with connection.

Prayer Tip #22 - Remind Yourself of the Beauty of Community

Today, I can say with confidence: the Church is still and will forever be the Bride of Christ.

Yes, it’s made up of imperfect people, but it’s also the place God uses to build His Kingdom. And because of His redemption, I can love it again—fully, freely, without the weight of the past hanging over me.

If you’ve been hurt, I pray your own Manasseh season is coming. May you find the freedom Joseph knew, the song Anna Golden sings about, and the joy of saying: “God has made me forget all my trouble.”

Prayer Points:

• Father, would You heal the wounds from my past.

• Lord, renew my love for Your Church.

• Pray against isolation.

• Pray for a heart of forgiveness toward those who caused hurt.

Suggested Prayer –

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for being my healer, my restorer, and my safe place. You see every wound and every tear I’ve shed over the hurt I’ve experienced within the Church. I choose today to place that pain in your hands. Lord, give me the courage to step back into the community You’ve called me to, knowing it’s part of Your design for my life. Help me to love Your Bride, even in her brokenness, and to forgive as I have been forgiven. To replace bitterness with compassion, isolation with connection, and sorrow with joy. May my life be a testimony of Your redemption, my own “Manasseh” moment.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

For His Glory,

Nicole Smith