In Psalm 78, the Word describes the Israelites and what happened in the wilderness. These people began their journey by walking through parted water on dried ground, but from the start they couldn’t help but think about the comforts they left behind. Freedom on the other side was beautiful, but they had to walk a long road, experience some miracles, and take possession of the Promised Land from giants.
They weren’t willing to do it. They so quickly forgot that God had parted the Red Sea for them—that He had provided the way out and was looking out for them. God doesn’t just force His will down people’s throats. Instead He works through people to bring His will to pass. This can take some time. But the Israelites were impatient.
In Psalms 78:41, it says they limited the Holy One of Israel. Matthew Henry’s commentary explains how they did that: “They limited him to their ways and their timing.” We can do the same every single day. We have the ability to limit God to our understanding and our timing. For instance, we say, “God, You didn’t move, so now I’m going to take it into my hands.”
How many people do you know who do that? Pray and ask the Lord, “Have I given up on You and taken this into my own hands?”
We do that when we forget what God has done already. Even if you can’t think of anything God has done for you, remember and say, “He parted the Red Sea and the Israelites walked on dried ground! Hallelujah! He fed them for forty years in the wilderness with bread falling from the sky.” He provided fuel for them for forty years!
What we do in our family is write down on sticky notes what God has done and what miracles He has performed. I actually had a rug made with our twenty greatest miracles written down on it—so every time our feet pass, we remember, “This is what God has done for us.” You can also write them on rocks with a permanent marker. Write down on a rock, “Hey, here’s what God did for us.” Keep these rocks in a bowl, and as your family is sitting in the living room, review them. Talk about them: “Remember when God did this? Remember when God did that?” It makes for a fun time, and it builds and sharpens your family’s hope and faith.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the certainty of things unseen (Hebrews 11:1). When your hope is built up, you don’t ever know what is impossible. Everything is possible.
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