All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers. And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. | ||
| Deuteronomy 8:1–2 | ||
| “Do what you know is right in God’s sight,” Moses instructed the children of Israel. “Remember how the Lord took you through the wilderness for forty years to humble you, to prove you, to test you, that you might know where you’re truly at, what’s really taking place within your hearts.” It’s easy to say, “I’m going to keep the commandments of the Lord. I’m going to do what He tells me.” The proof, however, is in the wilderness. It’s when the days are dry and difficult and when the heat is rising that we get to see if we are truly those who obey what the Lord tells us to do. Maybe you are in a wilderness season, in the desert of difficulty. If so, this is an important opportunity for you to realize and to see what’s going on deep within your heart. Just as we don’t know what’s in a sponge until it’s squeezed, I can’t know what’s taking place deep within me until I’m squeezed. Oh, I can quote the verses, sing the songs, and say the phrases, but the fact is, I won’t know what’s truly going on until and unless I’m squeezed by days of difficulty and times of trouble. Pastor Jon Courson | ||
