“When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land He has given you.” (Deuteronomy 8:10 NIV)
The Israelites were standing at the edge of the Promised Land for the second time in forty years. They were getting geared up to go in and take the territory the Lord had laid out for them. But first, their retiring leader, Moses, had a recap and last instructions.
He was speaking of a season yet to come, probably still unimaginable to these road-weary sojourners. Prosperity was right around the corner, but Moses did not simply dwell on the promise, he issued a warning as well.
“Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe His commands, His laws and His decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build find houses and settle down, and when your hearts and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord you God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” (Deuteronomy 8:11-14 NIV)
God knows that abundance typically obstructs our view of Him. Affluence affects our perspective. When we are well-off: wealthy, well-fed and heavily fortified, we tend to forget that all this provision comes from God alone. Moses pointed his people back to their past and we are nudged in that direction ourselves. It is good for us to glance back and consider God’s spotless record in our story.
“He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you, so that in the end it might go well with you.” (Deuteronomy 8:15-16 NIV)
Moses reminded his people and his readers, the wilderness serves two distinct purposes: to humble and to test. Look over your life and note the evidence: we learn the most when we are uncomfortable. Wilderness wandering with God is totally intentional. And He expects that we will carry the lesson of the hard and the humbling into our easier seasons. We cannot afford to forget Him as our Provider Defender.
God brings us in and out of wilderness seasons because He cares about our soul. The humbling and the testing that takes place in dried out landscapes are ultimately for our benefit. It is in hardship that we learn to live most-dependent on God. Seasons of substance tend do contribute to divine amnesia.
“You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who give you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms His covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.” (Deuteronomy 8:17-18 NIV)
One last thought on wilderness today. I was reading Psalm 55; a song of fear and trust from David. The passage speaks of trouble within the city walls, betrayal from a dear friend. In the heat of the hardship, David prayed to fly away.
“I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. I would flee far away and stay in the desert’ I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and the storm.” (Psalm 55:6-8 NIV)
King David had spent many years as a fugitive in the desert on his way to the throne. He knew the wilderness to be a place of divine protection and provision. So much so, that from his well-appointed palace, he longed for the simplicity of life in the wild with God.
God is incredibly and consistently good to us, yet sometimes in the business of life, we miss it entirely. It might be easier for us to behold His goodness in the barren landscape between blessings. The wilderness has purpose. It is in the wasteland where we are humbled, tested and protected. If you are in the wilderness now, look around and give God the glory for every meal, opportunity, and shielding (seen or unseen). If you are in the spacious place, the land of abundance, be sure to look back and give God the glory. Refuse to forget all that He has done for you.
“Let all that I am praise the Lord, may I never forget the good things He does for me. He forgives all my sins, and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with tender mercies. He fills my life with good things…” (Psalm 103:2-5a NLT)
Lord, we don’t like the wilderness. It makes us feel small and afraid and alone. Change our perspective. Help us see it as a holy place of humbling, testing and protection. When we step into more abundant places again, keep our hearts grateful. May we remember where we came from and set our sights on where we are going. Amen.