I've just had a quiet time, reading through my bible, currently reading about David, I'm onto Samuel 2 at the moment. Then I turned to the Psalms, because I always find the Psalms are vastly encouraging to read through and I can always apply something of them to my everyday life, or at least have something to muse over throughout the day.
I just happened to turn to Psalm 78, a Psalm about teaching the coming generation of things that had happen. It goes on to tell of the happenings when Moses led Israel from Egypt and Israels subsequent rebellion against God despite how much he did for them.
Strangely enough I'd just been talking to my mother about how, no matter how many wonders and amazing things God did for Israel they still didn't believe. I'd just happened to have been channel surfing and 'The Prince of Egypt' animation was on one of the channels.
It's something that has been on my heart lately because I went through a really rough year last year and was very close to leaving church and giving up on everything, despite having previously had a decent relationship with God and within church. I just felt caught between a rock and a hard place, the devil really had me down and I felt like I was spiralling out of control.
Thankfully, a few months ago something happened at church which changed it all and I found myself fighting to get back to where I once was. I'm slowly getting back to a good position in God, I just have to keep fighting against everything which threatens to break me away from the one person I can truly count on.
Something in Psalm 78 struck me as I was reading it:
38 Yet he was merciful;
he forgave their iniquities
and did not destroy them.
Time after time he restrained his anger
and did not stir up his full wrath.
39 He remembered that they were but flesh
My pastors keep bringing this point up. that we are going to make mistakes, that we are after all, only human and God knows we aren't perfect. Another point that had come to me as I was reading John 2:
....because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.
I mean it isn't exactly rocket science, Jesus was a man he knows what it's like to live on earth and be tempted. we already know this, but sometimes it's the simple things which really stick in the heart and mind and brighten the horizon a little. We will make mistakes, we won't always get it right the first, second and third time. But if we set things aside, put ourselves right and try again, we will learn the right way. If we put our faith in the right place then the Spirit will help and guide us.
Comments (2)
Oh good post. I always thought the people of Israel were goofy for not trusting God all the time!
Good for you on getting back to where you were in your faith and your church, I've been there and it's hard.
Have a great day! God Bless!
This was encouraging to read. It reminds me of Mike Yaconelli's book, Messy Spirituality.