Oh How We Quickly Forget ...

Oh how quickly we forget...

Lately, I've been reading "Sitting in God's Sunshine: Resting in His Love" by Alicia Britt Chole. This morning I was reading the chapter "Facing a Problem." It is an illustration from Matthew 15 when Jesus tells the disciples He wants the crowd of people to have some food as "they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat." Imagine being so enthralled with what was going on that they did not eat. I can't imagine that happening. I rarely miss meals by accident, and when I do, you bet I know it.

The response of the disciples to Jesus' request was, "Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?"
Chole offers three hindrances to recognizing God's provision:
1. "The disciples failed to recall God's past faithfulness."
2. "The disciples isolated God's current provision."
3. "The disciples neglected to consider the size of their source."

I don't know what challenge you face today. Have you lost your job or your health? Do you have a wayward child that is running fast and hard into darkness? Are you facing your retirement with insufficient savings? Are you struggling to pay your bills each month? Is your parent's health failing? Does your church have dividing factions? Have you recently lost a spouse or loved one? All these things and many more too numerous to list prompt the question, "Lord, where shall we get what we need for such a large problem? How will we meet our bills? How can we stay at that church? What shall we do for our parents? Children? How shall we make it through the pain today?"

Just like the disciples we so quickly forget God's past faithfulness. In Matthew 14, just a short time earlier, Jesus fed five thousand with five loaves and two fish. Why did they question how He was going to feed four thousand? Do we not do the very same thing? Every one of us, without exception, has experienced God's faithfulness, mercy and abundant provision in our life. Yet, as we face today's challenges we tend to forget His faithful provision in the past. "How easy it is for our memory of God's faithfulness to be erased by the loud grumbling of today's need." (Chole pg. 56)

"When facing a problem, disciplining our minds to remember God's past faithfulness quiets our hearts to receive God's direction." (pg. 56) As you face life today, stop. Take a few moments to recall God's past faithfulness and provision in your life. There is no problem in your life that is beyond the care and provision of our Lord, not one. Wrap your arms around that truth today and never, never, never let go.

Diane Hunt is the Director of Addiction Recovery Ministries