Psalm 106:10-15 "And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. (11) And the waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them left. (12) Then believed they his words; they sang his praise. (13) They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel: (14) But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. (15) And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul."
In the past few days, we've talked a lot about remembering the works of God.
Psalm 103:2 instructed us to "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not
all his benefits." The entirety of Psalm 106 is a reminder of the
manner in which God delivered Israel from Egypt and brought them through the
wilderness to the promised land. But it also is a reminder of the manner in
which the people turned away from God on so many occasions. God is merciful and
faithful to us, but I'm pretty sure that most, if not all, of us have to say
from time to time, "Lord, please forgive me for trying to do it my
way."
In today's verses, the writer speaks of the manner in which God brought the
people through the Red Sea on dry land. We are told that God "saved them
from the hand of him that hated them... And the waters covered their enemies:
there was not one of them left." How did they respond to God's works?
"Then believed they his words; they sang his praise." We can read
this account in Exodus chapters 14 and 15. They rejoiced in the moment, but
what happened soon after that? "They soon forgat his works; they waited
not for his counsel." They constantly murmured and complained about their
situation even though God had shown them in so many ways that His presence was
always there. They complained about water. They complained about food. Then
they complained about that "light bread" and wanted meat. God
"... gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul."
I'm not sure if you have ever experienced leanness in your soul, but if you
have then you understand how low in spirit you can go. It is not a good feeling
at all, but it seems God allows it in order that we will come back to the place
of understanding our need for Him. Dear Lord, please forgive me when I want it
my way instead of your's. I want to trust you more. I want to show my love for
you more. I want to have open communication and fellowship with you more.
What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer!