Don’t forget to be amazed by God
That’s it! that’s exactly what led to all my troubles. I forgot God: who He is, and what He has done. And that’s exactly what happened to the generation of Israelites that God led by the hand right out of Egypt.
Today, I am in Psalm 106. And don’t forget to remember that everything that happened to them is written down for us as an example to us. What you do with this information is up to you. In Psalm 105, history is reviewed and we are told what happened to the Egyptians because of their hardness of heart: 10 plagues, ending with the death of the firstborn. Think about it- the destroying angel went to each house and knew which one was the firstborn. That’s mind blowing right there! And he made a distinction between the Israelites and the Egyptians by telling the Israelites to put the blood of the Passover lamb on their doorposts. They listened to Moses and did what he said, and no one died in the Israelite homes. But in Egyptian homes, there was not a house without someone dead! And the Israelites walked out boldly with silver and gold from their neighbors who wanted to give it to them. (In this way they plundered the Egyptians.) They had just seen a bunch of miracles with their own eyes.
Now we are at the Red Sea, and they are afraid because the Egyptians are chasing them. They rebelled against God and Moses by the sea, accusing God of being unable to deliver them. God rebuked the Red Sea, it dried up, and they walked through on dry ground with a wall of water on each side of them. I think that should have been pretty amazing, right? They believed him then and sang his praise.
But they quickly forgot what He had just done, and then began a series of complaints and grumbling. They tested God, grumbled in their tents and would not listen to the Lord. And this part brings tears to my eyes every time: ‘They despised the pleasant land and did not believe His promise.’ (Psalm 106:24).
Do you know what God wanted to do for them? He wanted to free them from their bondage, put them in peaceful homes that they did not build, and teach them how to love Him and each other. And they didn’t want that. They wanted to do their own thing. It’s sad because what if that first generation really trusted God? They never got to see what God was going to do for them because they didn’t trust Him! And that is what I came to in my own life: when my life got hard, I stopped trusting God. but if the truth is known, I wasn’t really trusting Him at all. I wasn’t really in love with God. but I am today! And I am so thankful for the day He came and got me! And this is what I have discovered in my own life:
1-His wondrous works are to be meditated on. ‘Our fathers in Egypt did not grasp the significance of your wondrous works or remember your many acts of faithful love.’ (PS 106:7). I never used to do this, but I do now. I think about God’s creation a lot. All around us are amazing things to be studied and learned about, and a Creator is behind it all! Aren’t the seasons so amazing? And the fact that the earth is the exact right distance from the sun? and it rotates giving us days and years? I just want to say WOW whenever I take time to think about some of this. And when Danny and I go on walks we admire God’s handiwork in the sky: sometimes we take pictures but that can never do it justice. It’s different every single day. Have you ever noticed the human face? I know you have, but isn’t it amazing that we all look different? We all have eyes nose mouth and ears in approximately the same place, and yet all 8 billion of us look different. That’s amazing! You are a unique creation, and you owe it to your Creator to find out what He thinks.
2-His acts of faithful love in your life are to be remembered. If I had done this when my world fell apart, I wouldn’t have turned my back on God. I mean, bad things do happen, and it is hard to go through, but I had no Anchor when it happened to me. In my case, I believe that everything had to get so awful in the right way so that both me and my husband were saved! God didn’t waste my pain, He used it to show me that He forgives, He heals, He is compassionate, and He is trustworthy. But I do something now that I never used to: it is the practice of remembering what God has done. My husband is fond of saying: ‘the day I stop sharing my story, is the day I’m probably gonna die.’ We laugh, but it’s true. We overcome the Enemy by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. I am amazed at God’s forgiveness: my sin is so huge, and I am like the woman in the book of Luke “Her many sins have been forgiven; that’s why she loved much.’ When you come to a place of realizing what Jesus had to do for your sin, it changes you. You no longer want anything to do with it, and you want to stay close to Him. So, when we pray together, we often thank God for the miracle that is our marriage. it’s been two and a half years, and we are still full of joy at what God did for us.
3-Wait for His counsel. This might seem hard at times, when we can’t see the whole story, but isn’t that the point of trusting someone? No one trusts in what he can see, but something happens in your heart when you wait for God and see a miracle that could have only happened because you trusted God and waited for Him. It strengthens you! You trust Him more! You fall in love with Him just a little bit more and that’s what I want in my own life. If we take matters into our own hands, we can be sure we will make a mess. We will also have the added anxiety of knowing that we are on our own now. No divine intervention, because we are not walking in faith anymore. And did you know that without faith it is impossible to please Him? For me, I had a ‘light bulb’ moment the day I started to believe that God really IS GOOD!!! That He has a plan for me that is better than my own! Do you know how freeing that is? I can walk through life more gently now because I am not holding on to something that has become an idol. I am in love with the Giver, not the gift. I’m thankful for the gift, but maybe God will take it away. But know this: if He takes it away, whatever it is, it’s because something needed pruning. I know that doesn’t sound fun, but if it makes your relationship with Him even sweeter, don’t trade it for a cheap imitation.
4-Continued rebellion will beat us down. ‘He rescued them many times, but they continued to rebel deliberately and were beaten down by their iniquity.’ (Psalm 106:43) I love what is implied here: you don’t have to continue in your rebellion! God is a God who rescues sinners! But don’t make Him do it over and over. There will come a time when He will no longer rescue those who hate Him. Because that’s what rebellion is: hatred (distrust) of God. Don’t forget to learn about the heart of God… he wants us to be free from bondage to sin. He wants us to walk humbly with Him, loving justice and mercy! And guess what that will do? It will fill your heart with joy and peace while waiting eagerly for His return and getting to be in His Presence forever. Look around at the clues: the world is a beautiful place, but it is just a glimpse of His power and glory. Where we are going is not even worth comparing to where we are now. Let’s not waste our time here, let’s get ready to meet Him.