“Therefore, behold the days come, says the Lord, that it shall no more be said, ‘The Lord lives that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;’ but ‘The Lord lives that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands whither He had driven them’—and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.”
Jeremiah 16:14-15
When we walk with Him, we truly know “His compassions fail not, but are new every morning” (Lam. 3:21-23).
Could it be that somehow we’ve equated God’s salvation to a past tense event. . .a moment in time. . .instead of a present tense, continuous action reality? Today’s Manna reminds us of this and we’d do well to “chew the cud” on it for quite a while.
It’s clear the comparison used here is between Israel’s deliverance from Egypt so many hundreds of years before and their future deliverance from Babylonian captivity. So often our focus is on what God’s done in the past rather than what He’s doing in our lives right now.
For sure, we should be thankful for those times in the past when He reached down and “plucked our feet from the miry clay, set our feet upon a rock, established our goings and put a new song—even a song of praise—within our mouths” (Ps. 40:1-3). However, our praise shouldn’t stop there; instead, it, too, should be “new every morning.”
Do you remember when the Lord first saved you, Pilgrim? Do you remember where you were, what you were doing, what brought you to realize your need of Him, who helped lead you to Him, etc.?
If so, give thanks.
But, what’s He doing in your life right now?
How has He helped you in the past 30 days? The last week? Even today?
You may not see that much. And, you may not be experiencing any type of spiritual epiphany right now as you did that day or night you were saved. However, do not take for granted His daily blessings. And, do not feel that He’s not at work in your life—for He definitely is and using you in ways that you’ll never know.
When we pause to remember the Lord makes us “a nail in His Holy Place” (Jer. 9:8b) when we’re saved, we realize He’s got a specific Plan for our lives (Jer. 29:11). And, no doubt, there have many times when He’s “Graced” us in ways we never realized and shown us Mercy that kept us from getting what we definitely deserved.
You may be going through a difficult time right now, Pilgrim, and somehow feel God has given up on you. Or, you may feel like you’ve committed some unknown sin that’s causing your suffering. But, do not listen to the evil one, the “father of lies,” weary one; instead, keep “looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith” (Heb. 12:2a), knowing the same God Who saved you from the fiery pits of hell is the same One Who’s at work in your life right now (Phil. 1:6).
By Tom Smith Morning Manna Dated November 4, 2009
