“Lord, You have been our refuge in every generation … from
eternity to eternity, You are God.” Psalm 90:1-2
isis ebola earthquakes unemployment cancer uncertainty fear
death
The struggles of our lives run through our minds like a
ticker tape.
first child first step first home young family promotions teenagers graduations weddings grandchildren
Frail humans that we are, we walk a fine line between
unspeakable joy and utter despair.
Trusting God. Fearing God. Failing God. Trusting God again.
We aren’t much different from the ancient Israelites, who
trusted God to lead them out of slavery in Egypt and experienced His presence
and power in incredible ways. Then when times got hard, they
complained about everything — the food, the water, the living conditions. Their faith turned to fear at the first challenge.
Yes, God grew tired of their whining. Yes, their cravings destroyed at least some
of them. The stories in Numbers 11 are proof of that.
I am no different. I know God gets tired of my whining. I know my
cravings threaten to destroy me. I know my faith often turns to fear at the first challenge. I am such a wuss.
But God never gave up on the Israelites, and He doesn’t give
up on me.
Why? Not because of our faithfulness, but because of His
faithful love (see Numbers 14:11-19).
The Psalmist says God's faithful love satisfies us. His
sacrifice saves us. His mercy supports us. His grace covers us. His Spirit
stabilizes us — “in every generation."
“From eternity to eternity, You are God.”
In the schizophrenic chaos of our lives, in moments of
unspeakable joy and through every adversity along the way, the promise of a Savior is all
we need — One who died to save us, lives as testimony of God's awesome power over sin and death and sent His Spirit to finish the work He started in us for His glory.
All of this happened so that we, in all gratitude and all humility, from generation to generation, may give Him all the glory by making Him known among those who have never heard this good news.
Don't miss this: God saved us so that we can make Him known. We live to make Him known. This is "the work of our hands" (Psalm 90:17, HCSB), the most important work we do, the reason God gives us breath.
So this is my prayer: "Let Your work be seen by Your servants, and Your splendor by their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us; establish the work of our hands —establish the work of our hands!" (Psalm 90:16-17, HCSB).
This week's reading: Numbers 7-22, Psalm 90
Post #9: Discovering how to live missionally through a
chronological reading of God’s Word.
#travellight
Labels: adversity, Bible studies, Bible study, Blog, Christian workers, chronological Bible reading, confusion, despair, discouragement, faith, generations, hope, joy, TravelLight
