Anybody can take the easy times. It’s when the going gets rough that the quality shows.”
–Louis L’Amour (The Mountain Valley War)
“But the LORD your God will hand them over to you. He will throw them into complete confusion until they are destroyed.”
“But the LORD your God will hand them over to you. He will throw them into complete confusion until they are destroyed.”
–Deuteronomy 7:23(NLT)
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What did Jesus do after he calmed the storm and rebuked the disciples? Did He go back to sleep? Hmm, maybe even with a little smile on His face. The storms of our life will come; that is one thing of which you can be assured. With that being said, I will also say that there are many different types of storms, many different sizes. When the storms come we are called upon to remember the story of Jesus calming the storm. He was with the disciples all the time, and they knew He was there. They just could not understand why and how He could sleep in the storm.
Some people don’t remember how God helped them through previous storms or battles. In the second portion of Psalm 78, we see that Ephraim ran from the battle. When the foe advanced, they did not just retreat, they “turned their backs and fled.” Verse 11, “They forgot what he had done…” (NLT)
9 — The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.
10 — They did not keep the covenant of God; they refused to walk in His law,
11 — And forgot His works and His wonders that He had shown them.
12 — Marvelous things He did in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
13 — He divided the sea that caused them to pass through; and He made the waters stand up like a heap.
14 — In the daytime also He led them with the cloud, and all the night with a light of fire.
15 — He split the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink in abundance like the depths.
16 — He also brought streams out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers. (NKJV)
When going into a possible battle one thing that you depend on are your fellow men. They had the same training, took the same oath, were facing the same enemy, so they should be ready. However, when the shooting starts and the fight ensues they take off. They want nothing to do with the battle, with the chance of dying and leave you and their fellowman to defend yourselves. Ephraim was a deserter. In the time of trial he deserted, refused to carry out his vows, and left the battle.
Why? Were they cowards? Possibly. Were they traitors? I doubt that, they were still Israelites, and they practiced their religion diligently. It seems from the verses above that they forgot the power of God. They did not remember how He had delivered them in the past. They forgot His keeping power; they forgot His deliverance; they forgot how He provided for them every day. They let fear grip them, and the enemy deceive them.
Don’t be angry at them. How many times have each of us forgotten the mighty deeds God has done in our lives? Remember, the times He kept you, provided for you, kept you safe. That’s one reason the past is so important–it is for us to remember the hand of God working in our lives. The other tribes stood their ground, Ephraim fled even though they were armed for battle. We, too, have the armor of God, and we are armed for battle. Let us stand against the foe and not turn back. Our brothers and sisters in the Lord need us. Our family needs us, for the battle and also that in the future they can look back at how the hand of God used us and kept us and gave us the victory.
—————————————
What did Jesus do after he calmed the storm and rebuked the disciples? Did He go back to sleep? Hmm, maybe even with a little smile on His face. The storms of our life will come; that is one thing of which you can be assured. With that being said, I will also say that there are many different types of storms, many different sizes. When the storms come we are called upon to remember the story of Jesus calming the storm. He was with the disciples all the time, and they knew He was there. They just could not understand why and how He could sleep in the storm.
Some people don’t remember how God helped them through previous storms or battles. In the second portion of Psalm 78, we see that Ephraim ran from the battle. When the foe advanced, they did not just retreat, they “turned their backs and fled.” Verse 11, “They forgot what he had done…” (NLT)
9 — The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.
10 — They did not keep the covenant of God; they refused to walk in His law,
11 — And forgot His works and His wonders that He had shown them.
12 — Marvelous things He did in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
13 — He divided the sea that caused them to pass through; and He made the waters stand up like a heap.
14 — In the daytime also He led them with the cloud, and all the night with a light of fire.
15 — He split the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink in abundance like the depths.
16 — He also brought streams out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers. (NKJV)
When going into a possible battle one thing that you depend on are your fellow men. They had the same training, took the same oath, were facing the same enemy, so they should be ready. However, when the shooting starts and the fight ensues they take off. They want nothing to do with the battle, with the chance of dying and leave you and their fellowman to defend yourselves. Ephraim was a deserter. In the time of trial he deserted, refused to carry out his vows, and left the battle.
Why? Were they cowards? Possibly. Were they traitors? I doubt that, they were still Israelites, and they practiced their religion diligently. It seems from the verses above that they forgot the power of God. They did not remember how He had delivered them in the past. They forgot His keeping power; they forgot His deliverance; they forgot how He provided for them every day. They let fear grip them, and the enemy deceive them.
Don’t be angry at them. How many times have each of us forgotten the mighty deeds God has done in our lives? Remember, the times He kept you, provided for you, kept you safe. That’s one reason the past is so important–it is for us to remember the hand of God working in our lives. The other tribes stood their ground, Ephraim fled even though they were armed for battle. We, too, have the armor of God, and we are armed for battle. Let us stand against the foe and not turn back. Our brothers and sisters in the Lord need us. Our family needs us, for the battle and also that in the future they can look back at how the hand of God used us and kept us and gave us the victory.