How Many Times Have You been Rescued?

Psalm 106:6-8 -  We have sinned, even as our fathers did; we have done wrong and acted wickedly.  When our fathers were in Egypt, they gave no thought to your miracles; they did not remember your many kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.  Yet he saved them for his name's sake, to make his mighty power known.

 

This anonymous psalmist’s reflection on the sin of the Israelites…brought him to understand that he was a sinner…that could be saved only by the great mercy and compassion of God. He goes on in this great Psalm to recount and give a complete history of the sins committed by the people of God each time they became complacent with the gifts God had bestowed on them.

 

I sure can’t claim that I am any better than them….for I could write my own history of how many times I have messed up….and how many times God has rescued me from my own selfishness. I believe that the real lesson here is accepting the knowledge that God is our only way to salvation….and the many times he has saved us is part of his plan to teach us how to be more humble ….and release the pride that causes us to grumble in the first place.

 

My Life Application Bible commentary listed 7 powerful things we should grasp from the many rescues God allows us when we fall.  The major concept of Humbleness expands to include…..weaning us from dependence on material worldly things…quickening and deepening our prayer life….deepening our faith…make us more dependent on God than we are on ourselves….encourage us to submit to his plan and purpose for our life…..and increase our compassion toward the others that cross our path.

 

Father…I thank you for the reminder that I have to completely trust everything in my life to you.  I thank you for the many times you have shown compassion and mercy to me…and blessed me in spite of my many sins. Forgive me for complaining…and failing to trust you in so many ways.  Help me to start new this morning…and remember to thank you instead of complaining….and ask you to reveal the bigger purpose for the gripe I started to vent. And God…thank you for the amazing program man has named Celebrate Recovery.  I thank you for the lessons you have been able to teach me through the many friends I have met in the last 4 years.  I thank you for the way it has helped me heal form the hurt divorce caused…and the deep pain the death of my second husband caused. Thank you for using it to teach me that I had more problems in my life that kept me from having a full relationship with you.  And thank you for helping me to start removing some of those sins from my life as I healed from other hurts.  Bless every CR program this day….and strengthen the leaders that run them. Amen.