Don't forget!

Its so easy to forget God’s faithfulness in the past, especially when we are facing difficult times. The Israelites were very fond of that. No matter how mighty God showed Himself, they were too quick to forget His ability to help them, when they faced a new obstacle. I think of how God miraculously orchestrated their deliverance from Egypt, and protected them throughout their journey from Egypt to the Red Sea. Yet they quickly began to lament and blame God and Moses when they saw the Egyptians pursuing them. Over and over these ‘stiff-necked’ people tested God’s patience by their unbelief, and often times they paid dearly for their actions.

But the Israelites are not alone in this. We all do the same thing all the time. We take God for granted. We take His faithfulness for granted. We forget how He delivered us in times past, we forget how far we have come by His grace alone. And so when we face a new obstacle, we begin to grumble and complain like the Israelites. Instead of saying with trust “God you have been my help in ages past, you are my hope for years to come”, we cry out “God why have you forsaken me! Don’t you care about me anymore?”

I believe the sin of unbelief is one of the sins that just breaks God’s heart. I can imagine God saying:

"How can you imagine for one second that I will forsake you? If I did not withhold my most beloved and precious son, how could you even dare to think that I would ignore you?"

The Bible says “the eye of the Lord is constantly upon those who fear the Lord, to deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine” -Psalms 33:18-19. Don’t you know how precious you are to God? Listen you are dearly loved and treasured by God, and He wants nothing more than your good. He said in Jeremiah 29:11" I know the plans I have concerning you, plans of good not of evil, to give you an expected end”

It can be difficult to believe these promises especially when things are not going as planned. And God knows this, that's why He instructed the Israelites to hold Remembrance feasts to help them remember how faithful He is. He also commanded them to talk about His commands and miracles often. And I think this is the same thing He wants us to do. Instead of complaining about our problems, we are to call to remembrance His acts of deliverance in the past. Instead of feeling down and worried, remember how He made doors open for you. Remember how He rescued you when you had given up. It is only by remembering His faithfulness in the past, that we can have hope again and begin to trust Him afresh. Don’t listen to those voices in your head or even voices from others, who try to tell you otherwise. Let your response be “If God could do it for me in the past, He will do it again for me”.   

Have hope, don’t give up!

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Image2 courtesy: http://www.healwithhope.com/MyFiles/hope_clouds%283%29.jpg