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Spiritual AmnesiaFebruary 10, 2009Psalm 78:1-4, 10-20, 32-28 1My friends, I beg you to listen as I teach. 2I will give instruction and explain the mystery of what happened long ago. 3These are things we learned from our ancestors, 4and we will tell them to the next generation. We won't keep secret the glorious deeds and the mighty miracles of the LORD. 10They broke their agreement with God, and they turned their backs on his teaching. 11They forgot all he had done, even the mighty miracles 12he did for their ancestors near Zoan in Egypt. 13God made a path in the sea and piled up the water as he led them across. 14He guided them during the day with a cloud, and each night he led them with a flaming fire. 15God made water flow from rocks he split open in the desert, and his people drank freely, as though from a lake. 16He made streams gush out like rivers from rocks. 17But in the desert, the people of God Most High kept sinning and rebelling. 18They stubbornly tested God and demanded from him what they wanted to eat. 19They challenged God by saying, "Can God provide food out here in the desert? 20It's true God struck the rock and water gushed out like a river, but can he give his people bread and meat?" 32But the rest kept on sinning and would not trust God's miracles. 33So he cut their lives short and made them terrified. 34After he killed some of them, the others turned to him with all their hearts. 35They remembered God Most High, the mighty rock that kept them safe. 36But they tried to flatter God, and they told him lies; 37they were unfaithful and broke their promises. 38Yet God was kind. He kept forgiving their sins and didn't destroy them. He often became angry, but never lost his temper. - Contemporary English Version The scripture for this week demonstrates how the chosen Israelites continually lacked faith in God. The scripture recounts the many times that God rescued them from dire situations. God gave food when there was none. God gave water when there was nothing to drink. God led them through the desert when they did not know the way. It's a story about THOSE people who, when in the midst of trouble, forgot how God had rescued them before. By all accounts, they suffered from spiritual amnesia. It would feel good to say that this psalm has everything to do about the Israelites and nothing to do with us today. Let's be honest with ourselves, we suffer from spiritual amnesia too. God has been so good to us for so many years, but when we encounter hardships we forget. We wonder if God has left us and we begin to grumble and complain that we have been abandoned by God. Let us be assured today that just like the Israelites, God has not left us, but continues the journey with us. God might not always present Himself in ways that we expect, nor is the outcome always what we desire. Nevertheless, God is with us. I am sure that God gets irritated with our spiritual amnesia, but this does not stop God from loving us. God's compassion for us prevails against our continual faithlessness. Just like the Israelites, God has chosen each and every one of us. God is committed to be our guide and companion through our journey of life. Prayer: Compassionate and loving God, thank you for all that you have done for me. I know that you have not brought me this far to leave me now. I will follow where you lead and trust you in all things. Amen. For more informationRev. Leigh Martin |
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