Forgotten Miracles
Have you ever experienced a moment of divine intervention, only to find yourself complaining about your circumstances just days later? It's a paradox of human nature that we can witness miracles and still forget God's faithfulness so quickly. This phenomenon isn't new – it's a pattern we see throughout history, particularly in the story of the Israelites as they journeyed through the wilderness.
In Numbers 21:1-9, we encounter a striking example of this spiritual amnesia. The Israelites had just experienced a remarkable victory over the Canaanites, a direct answer to their prayers. God had delivered their enemies into their hands completely. It was a moment of triumph and celebration. Yet, mere verses later, we find them grumbling against God and Moses, saying, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food."
This rapid shift from gratitude to complaint reveals a deep truth about our relationship with God: Often we ask God to provide for us, and when he does, we celebrate him but forget so quickly about his provision when we grow tired of our situation.
This pattern isn't just an ancient problem – it's a very human tendency that persists today. Think about it: How many times have you prayed desperately for something – a job, a relationship, healing, provision – and when God answered, you were overwhelmed with gratitude? You praised Him, told others about His goodness, felt so close to Him. But then, when that job became stressful, when that relationship required work, when that healing didn't look exactly as you expected, or when that provision came with unforeseen complications, how quickly did your praise turn to complaint?
We're not so different from the Israelites. We, too, can develop a kind of spiritual amnesia, forgetting God's faithfulness when life gets difficult. We focus on what's hard about our current situation and conveniently forget how God brought us here in the first place.
This tendency reveals something crucial about the human heart: our complaints often expose the true condition of our souls. When the Israelites grumbled about the manna – God's daily provision for them – they weren't just expressing frustration about food. They were questioning God's character, His wisdom, and His love for them.
Our words reveal what's really in our hearts. Jesus said, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." When we persistently complain about our circumstances, we're often making profound statements about what we believe about God. We're essentially saying, "God, you don't know what you're doing," or "God, your provision isn't good enough," or even, "God, we were better off without you."
This realization should give us pause. The next time we're tempted to complain, we should ask ourselves: What am I really saying about God? Am I questioning His wisdom? His timing? His love for me?
But here's where the story takes a beautiful turn. When the Israelites faced the consequences of their complaints – in the form of venomous snakes – they recognized their sin and cried out to God. And God, in His mercy, provided a way of salvation. He instructed Moses to make a bronze serpent and lift it up on a pole. Anyone who looked at it would live, despite being bitten.
This Old Testament story points us directly to Jesus. In John 3:14-15, Jesus himself makes the connection: "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life."
The cross is where God's justice and mercy meet. Just as the Israelites had to look to the bronze serpent to live, we must look to Christ on the cross to have eternal life. At the cross, God doesn't ignore our complaints against him, our rejection of his provision, our questioning of his wisdom. He judges all of that sin fully – but he judges it in Christ.
When we look to Christ in faith, we find not just forgiveness for our sin, but transformation for our hearts. We find that our desire to complain is slowly replaced with a desire to trust. Our tendency to forget God's faithfulness is gradually overcome by a growing awareness of his constant goodness.
So, what does this mean for us today? Many of us are in our own wilderness seasons. We're taking the long way around obstacles we never expected to face. We're growing impatient with God's timing. We're looking at God's provision in our lives – our jobs, our relationships, our health, our circumstances – and we're tempted to call it "worthless food."
Here are three practical ways we can combat our tendency to forget and complain:
1. Create reminders of God's faithfulness. Keep a journal of His provision. Create traditions that celebrate His faithfulness. Tell stories of how He's provided. Build monuments in your heart and home that remind you of His goodness.
2. Examine your complaints. Before expressing frustration about your circumstances, ask yourself: What is this complaint revealing about what I believe about God? Am I questioning His wisdom? His timing? His love?
3. Look to the cross daily. Each time you're tempted to complain, each time you forget God's faithfulness, each time you question His provision, look to the cross. There, you see the ultimate proof that God is for you, not against you.
Remember, God is not trying to make your life miserable. He's trying to make your life meaningful. The wilderness isn't punishment; it's preparation. The manna isn't worthless food; it's daily evidence of a God who cares about every detail of your life.
When you're tempted to forget, when you're growing impatient with His timing, when you're ready to complain about His provision, remember this: the same God who delivered the Israelites from Egypt, who gave them victory over their enemies, who provided manna in the wilderness, who lifted up the bronze serpent for their salvation – this same God has given you Christ. And if He gave you Christ, how will He not also graciously give you everything you need?
God's faithfulness doesn't depend on our memory. His provision doesn't cease when we cease to recognize it. His love doesn't waver when our gratitude does. Look to the cross. Remember His goodness. Trust His provision. And discover that even in the wilderness – especially in the wilderness – God is shaping you into the person He's called you to be.
In Numbers 21:1-9, we encounter a striking example of this spiritual amnesia. The Israelites had just experienced a remarkable victory over the Canaanites, a direct answer to their prayers. God had delivered their enemies into their hands completely. It was a moment of triumph and celebration. Yet, mere verses later, we find them grumbling against God and Moses, saying, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food."
This rapid shift from gratitude to complaint reveals a deep truth about our relationship with God: Often we ask God to provide for us, and when he does, we celebrate him but forget so quickly about his provision when we grow tired of our situation.
This pattern isn't just an ancient problem – it's a very human tendency that persists today. Think about it: How many times have you prayed desperately for something – a job, a relationship, healing, provision – and when God answered, you were overwhelmed with gratitude? You praised Him, told others about His goodness, felt so close to Him. But then, when that job became stressful, when that relationship required work, when that healing didn't look exactly as you expected, or when that provision came with unforeseen complications, how quickly did your praise turn to complaint?
We're not so different from the Israelites. We, too, can develop a kind of spiritual amnesia, forgetting God's faithfulness when life gets difficult. We focus on what's hard about our current situation and conveniently forget how God brought us here in the first place.
This tendency reveals something crucial about the human heart: our complaints often expose the true condition of our souls. When the Israelites grumbled about the manna – God's daily provision for them – they weren't just expressing frustration about food. They were questioning God's character, His wisdom, and His love for them.
Our words reveal what's really in our hearts. Jesus said, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." When we persistently complain about our circumstances, we're often making profound statements about what we believe about God. We're essentially saying, "God, you don't know what you're doing," or "God, your provision isn't good enough," or even, "God, we were better off without you."
This realization should give us pause. The next time we're tempted to complain, we should ask ourselves: What am I really saying about God? Am I questioning His wisdom? His timing? His love for me?
But here's where the story takes a beautiful turn. When the Israelites faced the consequences of their complaints – in the form of venomous snakes – they recognized their sin and cried out to God. And God, in His mercy, provided a way of salvation. He instructed Moses to make a bronze serpent and lift it up on a pole. Anyone who looked at it would live, despite being bitten.
This Old Testament story points us directly to Jesus. In John 3:14-15, Jesus himself makes the connection: "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life."
The cross is where God's justice and mercy meet. Just as the Israelites had to look to the bronze serpent to live, we must look to Christ on the cross to have eternal life. At the cross, God doesn't ignore our complaints against him, our rejection of his provision, our questioning of his wisdom. He judges all of that sin fully – but he judges it in Christ.
When we look to Christ in faith, we find not just forgiveness for our sin, but transformation for our hearts. We find that our desire to complain is slowly replaced with a desire to trust. Our tendency to forget God's faithfulness is gradually overcome by a growing awareness of his constant goodness.
So, what does this mean for us today? Many of us are in our own wilderness seasons. We're taking the long way around obstacles we never expected to face. We're growing impatient with God's timing. We're looking at God's provision in our lives – our jobs, our relationships, our health, our circumstances – and we're tempted to call it "worthless food."
Here are three practical ways we can combat our tendency to forget and complain:
1. Create reminders of God's faithfulness. Keep a journal of His provision. Create traditions that celebrate His faithfulness. Tell stories of how He's provided. Build monuments in your heart and home that remind you of His goodness.
2. Examine your complaints. Before expressing frustration about your circumstances, ask yourself: What is this complaint revealing about what I believe about God? Am I questioning His wisdom? His timing? His love?
3. Look to the cross daily. Each time you're tempted to complain, each time you forget God's faithfulness, each time you question His provision, look to the cross. There, you see the ultimate proof that God is for you, not against you.
Remember, God is not trying to make your life miserable. He's trying to make your life meaningful. The wilderness isn't punishment; it's preparation. The manna isn't worthless food; it's daily evidence of a God who cares about every detail of your life.
When you're tempted to forget, when you're growing impatient with His timing, when you're ready to complain about His provision, remember this: the same God who delivered the Israelites from Egypt, who gave them victory over their enemies, who provided manna in the wilderness, who lifted up the bronze serpent for their salvation – this same God has given you Christ. And if He gave you Christ, how will He not also graciously give you everything you need?
God's faithfulness doesn't depend on our memory. His provision doesn't cease when we cease to recognize it. His love doesn't waver when our gratitude does. Look to the cross. Remember His goodness. Trust His provision. And discover that even in the wilderness – especially in the wilderness – God is shaping you into the person He's called you to be.
Recent
Archive
2025
March
June
September