“How often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness, And grieved Him in the desert! Again and again they tempted God, And pained the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember His power, The day when He redeemed them from the adversary.” Psalm 78:40-42 (NAS)
For most of us, the hardest lesson to learn is the lesson of trust. Sociologists, psychologists, philosophers, and theologians all have an opinion for it. Is it possible that the reason for our failure to trust is simply a side-effect of the deception in Eden? Innocent Eve trusted the adversary and he deceived her. She trusted Adam and he failed her by not correcting the deception.
Our devotional passage is a reminder of how God’s people even failed to trust and obey completely. If they would have trusted him they would not have rebelled against him. If they would have trusted him, they would not have grieved his Spirit. If they would have trusted him, they would not have repeatedly tempted him, and hurt him. If they would have remembered his power and past acts in their behalf, they would have also trusted him. If they would have remembered that he redeemed them from their adversary, they would have also trusted him.
Forgetfulness! What a terrible tool of the enemy!
How do we combat it? First, remind ourselves daily that God is trustworthy. He desires to bless us daily. His short-term and long-term goals for us are always good. He will never leave us nor forsake us. His promises are definitely ours through Christ. And he supplies our needs from his storehouse. Second, repent and refuse to rebel against him in any manner. His will is good for us. His will is perfect for us. His will is acceptable to us. And finally, renew our minds daily with his Scripture and affirming prayer. “In all these things, we are more than conquerors through him that loved us!” (Rom. 8:37). We are victorious over the adversary “because greater is he that is in us [you] than he that is in the world!” (1 John 4:4).
Dear Father, thank you for your past, present, and future work in our lives. Enliven our memories and enable us to be faithful instead of failures. Give us the spiritual fortitude to be doers and not hearers only. This I pray in the name of Jesus. AMEN
Be encouraged today in the faithfulness of God,