Dear Daily Message Readers,
READ: Psalm 106
Psalm 106:2 (NIV) "Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the LORD or fully declare his praise?"
Have you ever noticed that some people only pray only when a crisis arises? This so-called "quick fix" belief sees God mainly as a problem solver. And when generous solutions come from God Himself, He is immediately thanked, but then more or less forgotten until the next crisis occurs.
We may cringe at hearing this type of scenario, knowing that this is how we mostly live our lives. However, Psalm 106 contains a serious warning against dismissing God from our lives--as if that were possible. The psalm gives a detailed confession of the sins of Israel in all periods of their history. As you can comprehend after reading the 48 verses contained within the chapter, Israel had a tendency to take the Lord's mercies for granted, and God called that rebellion (106:6-8). In the end, they ended up with empty, sad souls because they chose to ignore Him (106:13).
This wonderful psalm teaches us to anticipate great things from God, but also warns us about expecting Him to come ready to comply with any wish or command we have. Instead, we must be ready to comply with any wish, command, or call, eager to fulfill His will.
Do you pray for what you want, or for what God wants? No matter how you answer that question, let's ask God today to accompany us through life's many trials. And instead of forgetting, ignoring, and dismissing Him when our special needs are met, let's also hold on to Him with all our faith and trust as if our lives depended on it (And, in fact, they do!). Faith Lesson: Our prayers should always aim to be on track with the will of God for our lives.
In Christ,
Darin Smith
READ: Psalm 106
Psalm 106:2 (NIV) "Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the LORD or fully declare his praise?"
Have you ever noticed that some people only pray only when a crisis arises? This so-called "quick fix" belief sees God mainly as a problem solver. And when generous solutions come from God Himself, He is immediately thanked, but then more or less forgotten until the next crisis occurs.
We may cringe at hearing this type of scenario, knowing that this is how we mostly live our lives. However, Psalm 106 contains a serious warning against dismissing God from our lives--as if that were possible. The psalm gives a detailed confession of the sins of Israel in all periods of their history. As you can comprehend after reading the 48 verses contained within the chapter, Israel had a tendency to take the Lord's mercies for granted, and God called that rebellion (106:6-8). In the end, they ended up with empty, sad souls because they chose to ignore Him (106:13).
This wonderful psalm teaches us to anticipate great things from God, but also warns us about expecting Him to come ready to comply with any wish or command we have. Instead, we must be ready to comply with any wish, command, or call, eager to fulfill His will.
Do you pray for what you want, or for what God wants? No matter how you answer that question, let's ask God today to accompany us through life's many trials. And instead of forgetting, ignoring, and dismissing Him when our special needs are met, let's also hold on to Him with all our faith and trust as if our lives depended on it (And, in fact, they do!). Faith Lesson: Our prayers should always aim to be on track with the will of God for our lives.
In Christ,
Darin Smith