Daily Strength - When times are good

‘When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.’ (Deuteronomy 8 vs 10-14 NIV)

There are dangers to faith, and temptations we face, when life is tough. However there are also peculiar threats that the Christian faces when life is going well and when times are good. Deuteronomy 8 looks forward to a time when the children of Israel would be settled in the Promised Land. They would enjoy good thing, herds, flocks and wealth, they would even find themselves living in ‘fine houses’. None of these these are bad things, indeed they were blessings for God. But, and it is a big but, all of these things came with a big spiritual health warning. When times are good, when we feel ‘settled’, when we are in good health, when there is money in the bank, food on the table, and things to enjoy; it is at that moment that we are most prone to ‘forget’.

So when times are good we need daily strength, to keep remembering the Lord, who has brought us to where we are and entrusted us with the things we have. It is very easy to forget Him in the good times. It is very very easy, and that road, so easy to get onto, is a road that leads into the wastelands of spiritual decline and emptiness.

Prayer: Father when things are good please help me to remember You. Thank You that everything I have and everything I am come from You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.