Everlasting Goodness

Deuteronomy 2:7

For the Lord your God has blessed you in all that you have done; He has known your wanderings through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have not lacked a thing.

If there were one thing I could say about my walk with the Lord thus far, it would have to be that He has always been faithful to me. In the low and lonely times, He has been my comfort and soft shoulder to cry on. In the hard and confusing times, He has been the breeze of understanding that cools my days of frustration. In times of sorrow, He has been my constant source of life and my daily bread.

This is why I love the story of the Israelites’ journey to the Promised Land. Our God rescued them from the slavery of Egypt and led them through the desert to the land He promised their forefather, Abraham, so many years before. Along the way, He provided for every one of their needs and blessed them much beyond what they deserved. To remind them of His presence, He gave them a cloud to follow in the day and fire to follow at night. He also gave them a tabernacle, which provided a place for Him to come and dwell with them. Even in the face of rejection, He maintained His promise to redeem their nation and bring them to the land that was promised. He constantly reminded them of His presence and provision and, after years of journey, He fulfilled His promise and gave them Canaan.

The summation of this trek is found in Deuteronomy. Handing over his leadership, Moses recounts all of the ways that God has been their God and, in Deuteronomy 4:9 begs, “Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, 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; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons.”

The character of God is unchanging. He is the same today as He was yesterday and will be tomorrow. The same God that mercifully provided manna for the Israelites puts food on your table every night. The same God, who so graciously gave them a cloud and fire to follow, gives us people and situations to guide us along our journey through this desert life. And, the very same God that gave them a tabernacle, dwells in Christians today.

So my question to you is, how has God been your God? What are your stories of mercy? What are your stories of grace? The very same God that blessed the Israelites continues to bless you today. Like Moses, I beg you to “keep your soul diligently, 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.” Write them down. Start a God journal. Tell your family and your friends the tales of your journey with God. Because God is the same today as He was yesterday, I can say with confidence that “He has blessed you in all that you have done” and that “you have not lacked a thing”, so praise Him today for His mercy and grace and give Him all of the glory!