“But they soon forgot what He had done and did not wait for His plan to unfold. In the desert they gave in to their craving; in the wilderness they put God to the test.” (Psa. 106:13-14)

Psalm 106 recaps Israel’s history of rebellion, and concludes with a prayer for God to once again save them. When I read verses 13-14, it reminded me that this could be any Christian at any point of time in their life, including myself.

God blesses us so abundantly and does so many good things for us on a continuous basis. But how easily do we forget how He is working in our lives? How impatient do we get and try to make things happen on our own, rather than waiting for Him to move and for His plan to unfold? How often do we give in to temptation, losing faith that what God gives us is better than whatever temporary gratification we get from sin? How often do we put God to the test through our stubbornness and lack of obedience?

Israel’s cycle of disobedience and then crying out to God for help unfortunately mirrors the walk of many Christians. We are definitely a people born in sin, that cannot even come close to the glory of God and His righteousness. And that’s why we need Jesus! No matter what we do through our own strength, it will never be good enough or sufficient enough. It’s only Christ’s sacrifice on the cross that atones for our sins, and it’s only through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can be truly obedient to His call.

My prayer for each of us is that we can continue to look to the cross, no matter what stage of that cycle we’re in, knowing that Jesus has already paid the price for us. And in acknowledging His profound love for us, may we also return a profound love back to Him!

[From November 8, 2018]