When I Am Forgetful of the Lord's Provision for Me by Nichole Suvar
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Children are known for many things - sticky fingers, funny responses, opposition to bed time, but maybe more than these - asking questions.
It's not uncommon to have a full conversation with a child and their one, repeated response is "Why?" Take this scenario for example:
A mom instructs her little: "Jump in the car, we're going to the store."
The innocent face comes to her with bare feet: "Why?"
She bends down and hand the little her sandal: "Because we need groceries."
Strapping on her sandal: "Why?"
Grabbing her purse and holding out her hand to lead these little feet now protected with shoes to the car: "Because we're out of food."
Climbing into the car: "Why?"
Buckling this curious little one into her carseat, she ends the questions with a zinger followed by a playful tickle: "Because someone ate all the bananas and chicken and fruit snacks! I wonder who did that?!"
My point is: Children ask questions, but as adults, we feel an unspoken need to know the answers and have it all figured out. Jesus spoke of the importance of child-like faith. I think asking questions is part of it. To help us with this, a longtime friend of The Good Day is back again this week - Nichole Suvar is showing us the power of asking questions through her reflection of Psalm 106.
Nichole is a recovering perfectionist, anxiety-fighter, and seeker of all things declared good. She desires for others to know that they are created for a purpose and that even the struggle of anxiety can be a tool to help point us to our Savior and live a life that brings Him glory.
Nichole has contributed to several devotionals, one of which includes Freedom from Worry through Proverbs 31 Ministries. She has also published devotionals for Advent - Prepare Him Room: an Intentional Advent and Easter - Victory in the Wilderness: an Intentional Easter, that can be purchased through her website. Nichole is a writer for the Self Care 365 app, a daily reminder app from Remedy Live that helps you focus on wellness with your mental health. She has also been a guest on numerous podcasts and blogs as well as a speaker on empathy for Great Kids, Great Communities, an initiative in Fort Wayne, IN. She recently published her book, Numbering Our Days: Combating Anxiety in the Power of Small Intentional Moments.
Nichole currently lives in the Fort Wayne, IN, with her high school sweetheart husband Paul and their three children. In her free time, she enjoys training for half marathons, discovering new hiking paths, or curling up with a good mystery novel. She writes about living an overcoming life for Jesus, one intentional moment at a time, on her website livewithintent.org and on Instagram @mrs_nichole_suvar.
Pride assumes, humility asks questions. Though this may refer to how we handle relationships with one another, this can also be applied to how we read scripture as well.
I have been guilty in the past of reading the stories of the children of Israel throughout the book of Exodus, drawing my own assumptions about their continued trip-ups, and shaking my head at their apparent dimwittedness. They were witnesses, with their own eyes, to miracles and the mighty hand of God throughout their life. They saw the plagues in Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, manna provided daily, and fresh water from a rock. But yet, at times they seemed to disregard God’s love and care for them. How could they so quickly turn from a God that clearly loved and protected them?
In Psalm 106 the author writes,
Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord? Who can ever praise Him enough? - Psalm 106:2
He begins with the truth that all that the Lord has done is far and away more than we could even list or name.
However, the following thirty-eight verses of the forty-eight verse Psalm lists all the ways that Israel has, in fact, forgot “the glorious miracles of the Lord” and found numerous ways to not “praise Him enough.”
Psalm 106:6 says,
Our ancestors in Egypt were not impressed by the Lord’s miraculous deeds. They soon forgot his many acts of kindness to them. - Psalm 106
The following is a short list examples of Israel’s failings mentioned in Psalm 106:7-43:
They wanted to go back to Egypt
They were immediately scared of dying when seeing the oncoming Egyptians at the Red Sea
Their desires ran wild, demanding what they wanted instead of waiting for God to provide
They were jealous of Moses and Aaron’s status
They grew tired of waiting on God and built their own god instead
They refused to enter the promise land, not trusting that God would protect and provide
They mingled among the pagans and adopted their customs
They didn’t follow the commands that God had given
They sacrificed – even their own children - to idols
Again, we can shake our heads at the seemingly thick skulls of the Israelites. But if we take the forgetfulness and self-willed rebellion of the Israelites and put it in more modern terms, we can reflect inward and see how we are more like them than we think. We can stop assuming and start asking ourselves have we…?
Forgotten the joy of salvation of God saving us from hell and our slavery to sin
When troubles come, instead of first turning to prayer, our first direction is worry and complaining.
Allowed our feelings to control our desires, demanding what we want instead of waiting for God to provide.
Gotten trapped in the comparison game and are jealous of what others have.
Grown tired of waiting on God and build our own god of self instead.
Refused to follow after the calling God’s given us, not trusting that God will protect and provide.
Not been differentiated from unbelievers and our thoughts and actions aren’t any different from those who do not claim to follow Christ?
Disregarded parts of scripture as out dated and don’t follow all the commands that God had given
Sacrificed ourselves to idols – giving up time with those God has entrusted to us and hoarding our own resources in the name of self-love.
It’s daunting, isn’t it? Though you may not relate to all nine, there is something in there that pricks the heart.
Thankfully there is hope.
Because we serve a gracious, compassionate, and merciful God, we can come back to Him in repentance. If you’ve found yourself wandering in the wilderness like the Israelites, you have the chance to return to the arms of the Father.
The last two verses of Psalm 106 ends with a cry of repentance, a heart acknowledging it’s wandering and a desire to be in communion with God again. You too, can pray this prayer, leave the desert of wandering, and rest in the God who forgives and provides.
Save us, O Lord our God! Gather us back from among the nations, so we can thank your holy name and rejoice and praise you. Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives from everlasting to everlasting! Let all the people say, Amen! Praise the Lord! - Psalm 106:47-48
Stop assuming you’ve got it all figured out. Instead, start asking God to reveal where your heart has wandered like the Israelites. You have not wandered too far. Just like with the Israelites, God is ready with His mercy and grace to welcome you back to Him.
Now, It's Your Turn!
Before opening God's Word, take a moment to pray and ask God to meet you there. Then...
Read Psalm 106 a couple times. Highlight what stands out to you.
Circle verbs or specific wording you notice.
Then, write down a bullet point takeaway based on this. "I-statements" help make this personal. Think of this as a challenge statement.
When I am forgetful of the Lord's provision for me, I will turn to questions, humbly asking God to reveal where my heart has wandered like the Israelites.
Then, jot down a question or two to think about today. You don't have to have the answer to this question now. And yield to the Holy Spirit - prayerfully ask God to search your heart and lead you to more truth and grow your faith through the Holy Spirit.
In what way(s) am I not too different from the Israelites? How can I use questions and intentional conversation with God to clothe myself in humility today?
Again, we don't have to be Bible scholars and talk only in the thou's and art's of King James version to read this book. ...because when we pray before we read, we are not alone. The Holy Spirit is with us, guiding and teaching us.
Praise God for this!
And praise God for refreshment as we are intentional to spend a summer in the Psalms together, for if we want His truth to ever be on our lips, it must first be planted in our hearts.
Our strength grows as we rely on strength from above. Our joy grows as we see God transforming us from the inside out. Our peace grows as we spend time in God's presence, and we find rest when we intentionally seek the Lord first in our lives, for the Lord is ever our portion.
The good life, well it starts with a good day. Then another. Then another. Let's choose to live #TheGoodDay one day at a time.
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