By Loren Larson
J. Swaggart Ministry
Psalm 106:13 – They soon forgot His Works; they waited not for His Counsel:
The Setting
For the past few weeks, this simple Passage has played a key role in directing my life. The Verse describes the attitudes and the actions of the very first group of people that God called His Own, the Hebrews. Having faced the horrible bondages of slavery in Egypt, the Israelites had cried to God, and He had delivered them from Pharaoh’s grasp. How long the events of the plagues lasted, no one can be sure. Some have speculated that the plagues, culminating in the Passover, may have lasted as long as nine months. In all this time, God proved Himself faithful. He guarded the Hebrews from the plagues that struck Egypt, and He brought them out with a high hand, with the strength of youth in their just-healed bodies and the wealth of Egypt in their pockets. When Pharaoh relented and repented of letting God’s People go, and with determination mounted a chase to destroy them or bring them back, God opened up the Red Sea for His People and executed the monarch and his armies as they attempted to cross through the same. However, human nature being what it is, it wasn’t long before this blessed people began to complain. How quickly we forget all that God has done for us!
Forgetting What God Did Before
Faith is a funny thing. At times, moved by Faith in expected provision from God, we face mountains of difficult situations. However, just a few days after our latest Miracle, the one that God Himself supplied, we face a new enemy, an uncomfortable situation, or a difficult circumstance, and we seem to forget all that God has done for us. My friend, the greatest thing that God has ever done for you or me was the saving of our souls. What new life! What new joy! What eager expectation of good rose up in our hearts! With the sin stain drowned in the efficacious Blood of the Lamb of God, we felt the freedom from death’s grip and the release from the dominion of sin. Then, in our youthfulness, we entered into the time where He carried us and proved Himself to us over and over again. Faith in His Person and His Word escalated us to new heights and pacified the heart with peace that passed all understanding. How many Miracles since then has He performed for you? How many times has He come through for you? Has He ever failed to keep a Promise or perform a Word that He gave specifically to you? I must testify by saying, “Never.” In one particularly trying time, God spoke to my heart and said, “This test will be over by the end of May.” That trial concluded on May 31 of that year. When I realized that the God of Heaven had spoken and then faithfully executed His Promise, all I could do was weep and praise Him for His Faithfulness. So, why would we doubt Him in our current distress? When we fail to remember what God has done for us in the past, we pave the way for doubt and unbelief to reign supreme in our hearts. Put yourself in remembrance of what God has done in your past, and it will secure the steps for your future!
Proceeding Without God
Whenever doubt and unbelief dominate the mind and heart, the human being almost always makes the mistake of proceeding into the situation without God. Now is the time to wait for His Counsel. Now is the time to seek His Direction. If we will approach the situation with prayer, yielding to God’s Wisdom will guarantee a successful journey through the minefield just ahead. One day at a time, seeking His Will for every step, will lead you successfully across the terrain and into the safety of His Provision. Wait on Him to lead! Tell Him you are sure that He will lead you just as He has done so many times before. Recall to mind what He has done for you in the past. Cry out to Him and let Him show you what to do. Wait on His Counsel! Wait on His Guidance! Don’t move until you know you have heard His Instruction. He’s done it before; He’ll do it again. Wait, I say, on the Lord!
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