by Victoria Robinson
If seeing is believing, then why do we sometimes struggle to believe? In the book of John, Jesus tells a large group of people, “But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe.” It is easy for us to scoff at these pitiful people. Afterall, they saw and heard Jesus in the flesh. Unbelievable! Yet you and I are no different when we forget all our heavenly Father has done for us, and do not trust Him for our future.
The evidence our heavenly Father has given us is overwhelming. We can see so many examples in the Word of God where our heavenly Father cares so graciously for His children and yet we find ourselves doubting that He will meet our needs.
When we read the illustrious stories in the Word of God, there is evidence beyond our imagination that our Lord is capable to care for every single need we have and yet we continue in our unbelief. Concerning the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of the Israelite’s exodus from slavery to the promised land there are so many examples of how our Lord majestically delivered and provided for His children. Yet time and time again the Israelites faltered in their faith that the Lord is all-sufficient. After the miraculous deliverance out of Egypt the Israelites complained to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” Yet just a few verses later we see the epic deliverance of the Israelites when God parted the Red Sea and annihilated their enemies.
Interestingly enough, the Israelites did believe what they saw while they were slaves and captive to Pharaoh. They remembered the fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic, they ate freely in Egypt. Yet they must have had selective memory as they did not complain about being in captivity at the same time. Oh, how I wish I could say I never only remember the wrong things in my past, but the truth is, I find it so easy to romanticize certain events, while ignoring the blatant truth of the misery surrounding what good I did have. In this case, the Israelites should have looked backwards without fondness on their captivity and joyfully and with gladness of heart looked forward to the future of the promised land that awaited them.
In the book of Joshua we read where twelve stones were set up as a memorial for future generations to be reminded of how the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord when it crossed the Jordan.
Ask yourself this question, “What have you seen your heavenly father do in your past that unequivocally lines up with the truth of His Word?” The Word of God instructs us to write down what the Lord has done so future generations will praise Him.
In the book of Isaiah, God states, “Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.”
To the sacred history: “Remember the former things of old, what the God of Israel did for his people in their beginnings, whether he did not that for them which no one else could, and which the false gods did not, nor could do, for their worshippers. Remember those things, and you will own that I am God and there is none else.’’ — Matthew Henry’s Commentary
Dearest girlfriends, I pray we would consider what we have seen the Lord do in our past, and prepare our hearts to confidently believe Him for the future.
But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. ~ John 6:36 NASB
Then they said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” ~ Exodus 14:11-12 NASB
Now when all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying, Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe, and command them, saying, ‘Take up for yourselves twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet are standing firm, and carry them over with you and lay them down in the lodging place where you will lodge tonight.’ ” So Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the sons of Israel, one man from each tribe; and Joshua said to them, “Cross again to the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel. Let this be a sign among you, so that when your children ask later, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ then you shall say to them, ‘Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.’ So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever.” ~ Joshua 4:1-7 NASB
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. ~ Matthew 12:38-42 NASB
For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him. ~ Matthew 21:32 NASB
For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”— and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. ~ 2 Peter 1:16-20 NASB
The rabble who were among them had greedy desires; and also the sons of Israel wept again and said, “Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna.” ~ Numbers 11:4-6 NASB
Walk about Zion and go around her; count her towers; consider her ramparts; go through her palaces, that you may tell it to the next generation. For such is God, our God forever and ever; He will guide us until death. ~ Psalm 48:12-14 NASB
Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD: ~ Psalm 102:18 NIV
Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord. ~ Psalm 107:43 NLT
Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. ~ Isaiah 46:9 NIV
This entry was posted on Thursday, June 5th, 2014 at 9:00 pm and is filed under A Godly Life, Dealing With Your Past, Provision, Spiritual Eyes, Trusting God.
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by Victoria Robinson