“Our ancestors in Egypt were not impressed by the Lord’s miraculous deeds. They soon forgot His many acts of kindness to them. Instead, they rebelled against Him at the Red Sea. Even so, He saved them – to defend the honor of His name and to demonstrate His mighty power…Yet how quickly they forgot what He had done! They wouldn’t wait for His counsel!” (Psalm 106:7-8, 13 NLT)
As I age my mind seems to be giving me a very selective memory. I can remember a lot of things I’d like to forget, but I find myself forgetting what I really need and desire to remember. That’s unfortunate when it comes to not remembering where I parked my car, but it’s tragic when I don’t remember the goodness of God.
Rick Warren writes: “Instead of forgetting, you need to remember God’s promises. There are more than 7,000 of them in the Bible. Whenever you have a problem, find a promise like 2 Timothy 2:13: ‘Even when we are too weak to have any faith left, he remains faithful to us and will help us . . . and he will always carry out his promises to us’ (TLB). God’s promises are always greater than the problems you’re facing!
If God hasn’t fulfilled a promise in your life, it could be because he’s waiting on you. He’s waiting on you to learn to not fear, not fret, not faint, not forget. He wants to develop you before he delivers you. God could do things immediately—but he’s working on a larger agenda. The delays that come in your life do not destroy God’s purpose. They fulfill God’s purpose in your life.
Psalm 103:2 (NLT) says: “Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things He does for me.” Trusting the Lord to care for us, guide, equip, and provide for us is, at least for me, a helpful reminder that regardless of what I’m dealing with, in any area of my life, the Lord has my back.
Trust essentially invalidates doubt or despair. Understanding that God’s clock keeps perfect time, gives me patience as I wait. If I don’t have something, I must not need it. Revelation often comes on the heels of patiently waiting. When I fail to feed my mind on positive promises that I’ve clearly seen God fulfill in my life, I too quickly jump to wrong conclusions in my present circumstances.
We’re quick to criticize the children of Israel who right on the heels of their deliverance from Egypt, were begging God to let them go back to their slavery, but we do the same thing. We beg God for a new apartment, house, car, or many other things we “have to have,” only to blame God for allowing us to be under the burden of the payment for our new idol.
Every morning, I marvel at the beauty of God’s creation. The picture above is my view from the front of my house. The sun is shining brightly most mornings, and in Spring there’s still snow on Mt. Charleston, which is only an hour away. I praise the Lord for the gift of my wife, kids, granddaughter, neighbors, and the wonderful church of which I’m a part.
My list of blessings and praises far outweigh the few things with which I wrestle as I age. I can’t wait to get to heaven, but I don’t want to miss the Lord’s lavish care of me in the interim. And folks, this is far more than “positive thinking,” it’s gratitude for the gift of God’s holy presence in me and working every second of every day for me.
If you’re not giving thanks, not only for all your heavenly Father is providing for you, but simply for who He is, you’re seriously forgetting something vital.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 