Review That Builds Confidence

But the people thirsted there for water; and they grumbled against Moses and said, "Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?" Exodus 17:3 (New American Standard Bible)

The children of Israel faced a very real dilemma. They were in a desert area and had no water. Our bodies need water to live. When thirst sat in it was accompanied by fear. The fear brought about a wrong conclusion in their mind. To them, no water meant eventual death. Even though they had witnessed God’s deliverance for them out of Egypt, received manna from Heaven each morning, and already experienced God’s provision of water at Marah, their present situation over shadowed it all. At a time when they should have recalled God’s power and provision of the past, they went into panic mode.

Can you relate? I certainly can! We have no trouble trusting God when all is well and supply is at hand. But what happens when we are confronted with the impossible? A change in job? An empty bank account? Broken-beyond-repair relationships? An inoperable diagnosis? Or any number of untreatable, unchangeable, unfixable scenarios? When no relief is in sight and no help seems to be on the way? If we are not careful, the same fear that hovered over Israel can soon be hovering over us. With that fear can come the thoughts of being forgotten, ignored, or abandoned by God. We would never say it out loud but we can struggle with the deep down belief or feeling that although He sees our plight He is unmoved or unconcerned about it.

Know this, if you are in that place right now, God wants to assure you nothing is further from the truth. It is imperative that you find verses to hold on to such as I will never leave you or forsake you, I will meet all your needs, I will work all things out for good, nothing is too hard for Me. It is crucial that you review times in the past when God brought you through or supplied needs in amazing ways. It is vital that you voice the truths of Who God is and what God can do before, during, and after you voice the concerns and fears. God knows your situation. He knows you intimately. He has a plan and purpose for you. He never fails!

The children of Israel floundered each time a test came their way because they kept seeing the situation or need as being greater than the One who could help them. They forgot the very truths that could have helped them to walk in confidence in the face of seeming hopelessness. They serve as our examples of what life will be like for us if we repeat their words, thoughts, and actions. Remember, we are not called to understand all that God does or doesn’t do but rather to trust Him in the process.

I want to spend today reviewing with God the many, many things He has done in the past for me, to me, and through me. I want that review to be a part of my next time of testing.

Father, I have experienced Your work, presence, and power in the past. I praise You for the history You and I share. May my life be marked by confidence in You! Amen.

Indescribable - Chris Tomlin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qF9aY49oQTs&feature=related

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.