Romancing The Rock

“When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” [Deuteronomy 5:10-12 NIV]

Photo by Andrew C.

When I listen for the heart of God behind these verses, what I hear is that He wants to bless us, He wants to see us prosper and live lives free of sickness and hardship. He wants the best for His children, just like we as parents want the best for our children.

But there were some rules to follow to make sure all went well, again in the same way we set boundaries for our own children. When they step out of those boundaries, we step in to discipline. God does the same.

Above all of that though, the thing that God desires the most is our love for Him. That is what we are created for. He wants to be the first thing on our minds of a morning and our last thoughts at night. In the Old Testament He constantly urges the people to not forget Him.

Because He knows, when the going gets good, we easily forget all that He has done in bringing us this far, and then it is not until things go wrong that we remember Him again – but usually with blame for letting us get hurt. If we keep being grateful for all He’s done, loving Him in our day-to-day happiness, even when things are smooth sailing, we touch His heart and more blessing flows.

As a parent, I know how I feel when my kids act as though I never do anything for them. It hurts. But when they give a simple hug and a ‘thanks Mum,’ it makes me want to give them more. How about you?