Tonight's Word 🌱

"I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands."
-Psalm 143:5

Are you someone who feels the need to be constantly reassured by God, to be reminded that He loves you and that He is with you? I have a confession to make. I can be like this sometimes. I sometimes wonder why, or if anyone else is like me, if He ever gets tired of me, or if He cares about the need enough to keep meeting it for as long as it takes. Of course, I know He loves me, and that He is working for my good, but sometimes, just sometimes, hmm..  I can sometimes imagine Him thinking to Himself, "After all that I have done for you, how can you still wonder if I still love you? Here's something that you definitely can't miss." 

I don't ever want to forget Him, and I don't want Him to forget me either.

I look to the Bible to see if there was anyone like me. I have always thought these folks were not who I wanted to be like, but have you ever read the story of the Israelites in the wilderness? They were released from a lengthy slavery in Egypt, the Red Sea was parted for them to cross toward safety, manna fell from heaven as their daily food, God wrote down His desire for them with His own finger on two tablets of stone. And if you think all these would have been enough to convince them of His love and presence with them, the Bible further states:

By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people. -Exodus 13:21-22

In hindsight, we can tell that the Israelites definitely had a special place in God's heart. Despite all these miracles and reassurances however, the Israelites were recorded as being most forgetful, most complaining, most rebellious, and the list goes on and on. I tend to think I would have definitely done better than the Israelites at the time, trusting and moving forward in faith, embracing the wilderness experience like it was a walk in the park with my Lord. However, in reflection, we cannot judge, because the human spirit can tend to be quite fickle when ready. Even myself, who despite the many opportunities where God worked things out or provided for me, the negatives of this life sometimes can tend to overwhelm our memory sometimes. But God!

We have nothing to fear for the future except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us. - EG White

I want to take the opportunity tonight to encourage each one of us that when we have these moments of self-doubt and forgetfulness, look back and remind ourselves of the many times He has come through for us, provided for us, made His presence felt. And if we need reassurance, He is also more than willing to do so in His timing and in His way, because He loves you, and He cares about you and your faith in Him. Let's continue to have our minds stayed on Him, and His love, mercy and grace.

The song below was an absolute soothing balm to me when I heard it for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and I want to share it with you. Be encouraged 🙂🎧🙏🏽

So you would know (Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir)