J.A. Matteson
"You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that he might humble you, testing you, to know what as in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not." Deuteronomy 8:2
Have you erected an Ebenezer unto the Lord? Surely he has been your help, great satisfaction and comfort along your pilgrims pathway in this present wildness. A present crises is best navigated by remembering past victories. God's promises to his children are irrevocable, all of them are a resounding Yes in Christ Jesus. Do we know his plethora of promises experientially or are we tossed to and fro like driftwood upon the raging waves of life, familiar with them only intellectually? Are your circumstances difficult at the moment? Praise God in them for what he intends to accomplish in you through them. Are you doing quite well at the moment, feeling satisfied with the comforts of this world? Beware, lest you forget the Lord your God and mistakenly place your security and hope in things rather than in he who provided them. The greatest hindrance to our maturity is practical atheism where we through the study of God's word acquire intellectual truth about God and his promises in our heads, but remain doubters in our hearts, evidenced by our behavior. Such was Israel's folly. If we are to traverse the wilderness in hopes of crossing the Jordan into the promised land, enjoying the rest promised to us, we must live by faith, trusting God to deliver on his promises and not focusing on our adverse circumstances. Remember why the adversity has come, to humble you, to test you, to see whether you will live by faith or by sight. To be victorious as we pass through the wilderness we must bring to mind God's promises, reflect back upon our Ebenezer, and summons within our heart a steadfastness that trusts in the promises of God no matter what circumstances may tempt us to believe. That is the hallmark of genuine faith to which the writer to the Hebrew beautifully illustrates in chapter 11. Certainly the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Pray, therefore, that the Lord may strengthen you in the inner person to live as Jesus lived, always doing the Father's will in humble dependence upon him for life's necessary provisions. And as the promises of God to you are proved repeatedly you will find not one, but a multitude of Ebenezer's to fondly look upon, perceiving your present battle as an opportunity to erect still another marker all to the glory and praise of God the Father, through his Son, as empowered by his Spirit who dwells within you.
Copyright (c) 2016 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8).
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