Recounting God’s Faithfulness

I love the painting of George Washington crossing the Delaware. He’s standing tall on the boat as they row across. You can see the determination in his face as he was about to lead his troops to victory over the Hessian forces at Trenton. He had won several battles early on in the war that gained the trust of the Continental Army. Even though they had some rough patches where they lost some battles and land, the army continued to trust in his leadership. His past successes gave them confidence in his ability to win the war. As I look at that painting, I can’t help but think of the trust those men had in him. Others had failed to cross the icy river, but his men became as determined as he was. Their continued trust through hard times ultimately helped them defeat a larger army.

In Deuteronomy, the Israelites are preparing to enter the Promised Land. Before they go, Moses took time to remind them of God’s faithfulness and provision over the previous years. The people crossing the Jordan River had not seen what God did in Egypt. There were some rough moments during their wandering, but God never abandoned them. In Deuteronomy 4:9, Moses told them, “Only pay attention and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your grandchildren [impressing these things on their mind and penetrating their heart with these truths]” (AMP). Moses understood how important it was for people to recount God’s faithfulness and to keep it fresh in their hearts and minds. There would be rough days ahead and they needed to remember what God had done to keep trusting Him.

Psalm 77:11 says, “I will [solemnly] remember the deeds of the Lord; Yes, I will [wholeheartedly] remember Your wonders of old.” In this Psalm, Asaph was feeling unloved, forgotten and rejected by God. His trust was waning because of his current situation. So he recounted the deeds of the Lord to boost his faith. He understood if he could remember what God had done in the past, he could trust God for what He would do in the future. Too often we get so caught up in the present troubles that we forget what God has done. We begin to feel rejected and forgotten. In those moments recount the deeds of God’s faithfulness to you. It’s the Faith boost you need to trust again. It will help you climb into the boat, cross the icy waters of the present and be led to victory. God has never abandoned the righteous or had their kids begging for bread (Psalm 37:25).

Photo by Eugene Uhanov on Unsplash