Have you ever wondered why the Israelites were so stubborn? Miracle after miracle after miracle and then complaining and complaining and complaining. Whenever I hear or read about the Israelites journey from Egypt to Canaan, I am amazed by how quickly they forgot about the power of God.
How could they forget about God when He had sent ten plagues on Egypt to free them from slavery?
How could they stop trusting God after He had parted the Red Sea to give them a path to freedom?
How could they forget and stop trusting God when He daily rained manna from Heaven to feed them?
God Reminded Me of His Power
Have you ever forgotten about the power of God or struggled with trusting Him with your life? I am guessing most of us have struggled at times with trusting God with something in our life or forgotten about His power too, just like the Israelites. I know I have, and God has been very patient with me. On a trip to Hawaii, God reminded me of His power.
My wife, my two boys, and I were traveling to Kauai. We were excited and expecting to have an amazing time! But after just two days, the excitement came to a sudden halt. Anthony got sick with the flu, and then Michelle and Andrew contracted a milder form of it. We were hotel room bound for the rest of our trip.
We made the best of our time and during our last day in Kauai, Anthony, who was now doing much better, spent a few hours playing in the pool. Afterward, we packed and headed to the airport. While we waited for our plane, Anthony started feeling sick again. His temperature was rising, and our plane was scheduled to depart in 45 minutes. I felt completely helpless. I could not do anything. If his temperature went much higher, we would need to go to the emergency room.
As I looked into the teary, tired eyes of my son, I remembered how powerful God is. I found a semi-quiet place in the airport and I got on my knees and cried out to God, “Dear God, we’re leaving for home today and my son has a high temperature. He is really warm and is helpless. Please bring his temperature down. I know You can do this. I believe and trust in Your power. I ask that my son’s temperature drop from 104 to 98.6 by the time we get to Maui for our transfer flight. May You doing this be a testament to Your miraculous power that can be shared with others to remind us of your ever-present love and help in our lives. Amen!”
We boarded our plane headed to Oahu and then Maui to fly home. When we switched planes in Oahu, I noticed Anthony was looking much better. He had stopped crying and could walk some on his own. I smiled and sensed that God was answering my prayer.
When we arrived in Maui, Anthony walked off the plane with renewed energy and vigor. I was excited and we quickly tested his temperature. It was 98.6 – praise God! Wow! God had answered my prayer and His power had shown brightly when we needed it most. His temperature never spiked up again the rest of the long trip home.
It is easy to get distracted by busyness and forget about the power of God.
It is easy to forget about His power and desire to display this power in our lives.
It is easy to struggle with helplessness and attempt to cope with problems ourselves.
I will never forget the miracle God performed for my son and that His power is just as powerful today, as it was in the days of the Israelites. Miracles still happen today. We have to ask, watch, and trust in God!
In Philippians 4:6-7, it says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (ESV).
Call to Action
God can do anything, big or small (Jeremiah 32:17)! Do you believe that? Why not get on your knees right now, surrender yourself completely to Him and put your petitions before Him. Then watch and see what He does.
