Remember What Your Eyes Have Seen
“Only be careful and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children.”
Deuteronomy 4:9
Good morning and welcome to the Spirit of Stress newsletter! It’s a pleasure to be with you in spirit this morning. I hope you have your Bible and coffee, tea, or favorite drink. Whether your week has been chaotic or mundane, I pray you’ve spent some quiet time with the Lord.
The longer I live and walk with the Lord, the easier it is for me to see that seasons come and go, and then they come again, but then they go again. Part of my battle with anxiety and depression revolved around fear and doubt, and ultimately a lack of trust and faith in God. When a troubling season came, I would immediately panic and become discouraged. Only when God brought me out of my lowest point did I finally realize that he is faithful. I started to look at uncertainty and difficulty differently. In times of uncertainty, I became excited to see how God would show up, and in difficult times, I got excited to see what God was going to teach me and how he would change me. I knew that every difficult season would ultimately result in my faith growing, and the list of ways God would prove himself would only grow longer. My life has since been drastically changed. I don’t have the emotional highs and lows that I used to. In seasons of great joy, I remain grounded. Not that my joy is limited, but I’m not fooled into thinking there won’t be tough seasons ahead. And in seasons of trial, I remain hopeful; I don’t forget what my eyes have seen, and my heart has felt. Today, we will talk about the importance of remembering what God has done for us, how it impacts our walk, how it impacts others, and how important it is to speak to your children about what God has done for his people. But first, let’s pray.
Opening Prayer
Father, thank you for your faithfulness. Thank you for your providence over our lives. Help us this morning to hear your word, to believe your word, and to grow in our faith as a result. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Be Careful and Watch Yourselves
I originally began writing for my children. I wanted to leave them with my words. I don’t care if I sell a single book, so long as they have my words with them forever. Our Father in heaven left us his word, and it’s the most valuable thing to us. In the same manner, I want to leave my children with my words. Moses does the same for his children, family, and people. Moses is getting ready to die. He’s about to leave the Israelites and place Joshua over them as God instructed. Knowing he will never see his family and people again, he proceeds to speak what he knows is most valuable. One of the first things he says is, watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget what you’ve seen. He doesn’t know what troubles lie ahead for the Israelites, but he does know their tendency to grumble. After all, he led them for forty years. The Israelites often forgot the faithfulness, power, and goodness of God, and it resulted in the death of many. We must be aware of our tendency to do the same. The Lord spoke about this in the Parable of the Sower:
“The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.” Matthew 13:20-22
When we forget, we doubt, and we lose hope. We’ve all been there, and our despair is no fault of God’s. It’s because we forget the things our eyes have seen and let them fade from our hearts.
- Have you forgotten the things your eyes have seen?
- When was the last time you recounted your testimony?
- Do you believe the great things God has done for his people throughout history?
If you’re struggling in your faith today, I encourage you to remember what God has done for you and the children of God throughout history. It’s part of how we overcome Satan. The Bible says, “They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” Revelations 12:11 God has not abandoned you, but in his wisdom and sovereignty has allowed you to be afflicted to refine and sanctify you. Praise him for it.
Remembering and recounting what God has done is vital to our perseverance.
From Faith to Faith
When we live by faith, which is more clearly seen in our difficult seasons, God is revealed in us. A spiritual light shines out from us, and a spiritual aroma lingers. It’s a means by which God awakens the spiritual senses of some of those around us.
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.” Mathew 5:14-15
“For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one, we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?” Corinthians 2:15-16
God uses our display of faith in difficult times to work in the hearts of unbelievers and despondent believers, growing their faith, courage, and hope.
Our faith has an impact.
We gather our brethren. We work with the Lord, or rather, the Lord works through us to gather his sheep. What an honor it is to be used for the glory of the Lord. Come to the end of the thought. Would you not willingly suffer for your children? Would you not willingly suffer for Christ? Is your suffering in vain? Do we not have great examples of what God has done for his people through the suffering of his people? Not the least of which is Christ, his only begotten son, the pioneer of our faith. God help us to not only love our God, but also love the way to him.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-7
Teach Them to Your Children
I’ll never forget a question my older son asked me when he was eight years old, nor the response I gave him.
G: Daddy, how come God doesn’t do miracles anymore like in the Bible?
D: Oh, he’s doing miracles every day that you can’t see. Even right now, mountains are being moved. Even right now, giants are falling. Deep waters are being parted in the hearts of many. Green pastures are being laid before all those who are weary and come to him, and milk and honey are being poured out through his living word.
Your children’s faith in God begins with your words.
We are the first and most impactful voice of faith in our children’s lives. We should be telling about what God has done for us and his children throughout history as soon as possible and as frequently as possible. This is how they come to believe. There is no more important work for us to do. There’s no ministry in the world, nor at your church, that takes precedence over your ministry at home. This labor for our children’s faith is worth whatever it costs us. They are the only thing in this world that we can take to heaven with us. Waste no time. Preach to them daily.
Concluding Thoughts
Remembering what God has done is not an option; it’s a necessity. It’s how we endure, persevere, and thrive, and it’s how the body of Christ as a whole thrives. In times of suffering and affliction, we must say with David, “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. Psalms 77:11 Can you hear David’s faith amid his trial? He will remember God’s miracles of long ago. We may go a long time before we see God’s deliverance. The season may last months or even years, but the Lord is faithful and has a purpose for our suffering. But let us not neglect that God is sovereign, and it very well may please him to leave our circumstances unchanged and only change us through our circumstances. It may please God to allow us to suffer for the sole purpose of showing Satan that we will never curse God because God has sustained us, as we read in Job. If this be the case, let us remember that our life is but a vapor, and he will soon wipe away our tears. Let us remember that we’re called to rejoice always, in all circumstances. Let’s pray.
Closing Prayers
Lord, help us to remember the things our eyes have seen. Keep them pressed firmly on our hearts and minds that we may sing of your goodness all of our days. Use us, Lord, as you please to bring glory to your name, to gather your sheep, and further their faith. We trust in your providence. Uphold us during trying times. Speak to us through your word and give us hope, and cause us to endure and persevere. We thank you for your sacrifice, Lord, and for the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. Thank you for your example. Help us to love not only the destination, but also the way. Purify our hearts, Lord. Let our faith be a saving faith. We know even the demons believe and tremble. Guard us from deception and falsehood. Help us to worship you in truth and in spirit, Lord. Help us to move with urgency and courage, knowing the hour is near. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Until next time, God willing, may the Lord bless you and keep you.
Spiritual Tip
Keep a journal of the things the Lord has done for you, small and large, to look back on in moments of despair.
Exercise Tip of the Week (ETOW)
This week’s exercise tip is more of an overall health tip. A good workout schedule is great, but if you’re completely sedentary all day, your results are going to be limited. Ideally, you should be moving every 30-45 minutes throughout the day. Certainly, working towards a goal of taking 10,000 steps a day is good, but also make sure that those steps are throughout the day and not only at the beginning or end of your day. There are greater metabolic benefits when you’re active throughout the day.
Book recommendation: Joy in Life’s Hard Times by Charles Spurgeon
Excerpt:
The Church at large has had many evening times. If I might derive a figure to describe her history from anything in this lower world, I should describe her as being like the sea. At times, the abundance of grace has been gloriously manifest. Wave upon wave has triumphantly rolled in upon the land, covering the mire of sin, and claiming the earth for the Lord of Host. So rapid has been its progress that its course could scarce be obstructed by the rocks of sin and vice. Complete conquest seemed to be foretold by the continual spread of the truth. The happy Church thought that the day of her ultimate triumph had certainly arrived, so potent was her Word by her ministers, so glorious was the Lord in the midst of her armies, that nothing could stand against her. She was "fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners." Heresies and schisms were swept away, false gods and idols lost their thrones; Jehovah Omnipotent was in the midst of His church, and He upon the white horse rode forth conquering and to conquer. Before long, however, you find it always has happened that there came an ebb-tide. Again the stream of grace seemed to recede, the poor Church was driven back either by persecution or by internal decay; instead of gaining upon man's corruptions it seemed as if man's corruptions gained on her; and where once there had been righteousness like the waves of the sea, there was the black mud and mire of the filthiness of mankind. Mournful tunes the Church had to sing, when by the rivers of Babylon she sat down and wept, remembering her former glories, and weeping her present desolation.
Handsome boys! Yes, our words are a legacy to our children. Speak your faith!