Thursday, May 09, 2013

Remember


"For their heart was not steadfast with Him, Nor were they faithful in His covenant. But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, And did not destroy them. Yes, many a time He turned His anger away, And did not stir up all His wrath; For He remembered that they were but flesh, A breath that passes away and does not come again." (Psalm 78:37-39 NKJ)

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 lost their trust and failed to be faithful. Faithful obedience would have stopped their rebellion against God. A faithful heart would have garnered trust in him.

When we are tempted to be unfaithful, we turn to memory. Remember his power and past acts in our lives. Remember he redeemed us from our adversary. Remember we can trust him in all circumstances and we are never abandoned.

Forgetfulness! What a terrible tool of the enemy!

But God does not forget. He remembers that we are only weak flesh. He remembers that our lives are mere whispers of wind, vapors that appear for a short time and passes away. So, he deters his anger. I love this passage because of its power and imagery. God can "stir up" his wrath or he can "turn his anger away." And when he remembers we are only weak flesh, he lets his compassion and forgiveness deflect his anger. What an awesome Father and God!

Dear Father, thank you for remembering and providing strength through Christ. Empower us to be faithful and remember your mighty works in our lives. This I pray in the name of Jesus. AMEN

Remember today and be faithful,

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