Psalm 78:21-22 When the Lord heard them, he was very angry;
his fire broke out against Jacob,
and his wrath rose against Israel,
for they did not believe in God
or trust in his deliverance.

When you think about it, this is a pretty accurate description of what went on in the Exodus from Egypt, and it should be a powerful object lesson for us today. What incited God’s wrath was the stubborn refusal to believe, and that’s certainly a problem for us today as well. If we fail to believe and trust God, we turn to all sorts of other things instead. The vast majority of Americans are at least “paper Christians,” claiming Christianity if asked, but whether they are living in relationship with Jesus Christ is an entirely different question. Recently the President made a statement that would be wonderful if true: “We don’t worship government, we worship God.” However, in actual fact, many people do indeed rely on the government rather than on God. That’s one of the most prevalent idolatries around. At least an equal number rely on money, and the same may be said for science, as an extension of human intellect. The tricky thing is that all of those things have their place and can be genuinely helpful if used rightly, but if we turn to them instead of God, we are in deep trouble, and that’s where a lot of people are today. We think of the Exodus as ancient history, or even mythology, when the Bible itself says that those past events were “written down as warnings for us.” (1 Corinthians 10:11) The Psalmist is here doing that consciously, and we would do well to pay attention.

I have long realized that human nature hasn’t changed since the Garden of Eden. We still tend to be headstrong and seek our own way instead of following and trusting God. I have brought plenty of unnecessary suffering on myself by failing to trust and obey. As a pastor I see that pattern all around me, but I can’t force anyone to trust God enough to obey Him. All I can do is speak the truth in love and model, by the grace of God, what it is to live in fellowship with Him. It breaks my heart at times to see how stubbornly people refuse to trust God. Sometimes they will actually say, “I know (God’s truth) but…” That but indicates they don’t really know what it is they are parroting. That’s just a form of the self-deception James talked about. (James 1:22) I know. I’ve been there! I am to challenge people to trust God fully, but at the same time realize that we are all in the place of the father of the epileptic boy who was healed by Jesus: “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the awareness that my own trust and obedience have plenty of room to grow. Help me be increasingly submitted and faithful to You, useful to You in drawing others to Yourself as well, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!