Futility and Fear (Devotional)

8/14/2019 Futility and Fear (Devotional)

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Futility and

Fear

Devotional


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Futility and Fear

Psalm 78:21-33 says,

21 When the LORD heard them, He was veryangry; His fire broke out against Jacob, and

His wrath rose against Israel,

22 for they did not believe in God or trust in

His deliverance.


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Futility and Fear

23 Yet He gave a command to the skies above

and opened the doors of the heavens;

24 He rained down manna for the people to

eat, He gave them the grain of heaven.


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Futility and Fear

25Men ate the bread of angels; He sent them

all the food they could eat.

26 He let loose the east wind from the

heavens and led forth the south wind by His

power.


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Futility and Fear

27 He rained meat down on them like dust,

flying birds like sand on the seashore.

28 He made them come down inside their

camp, all around their tents.


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Futility and Fear

29 They ate till they had more than enough,

for He had given them what they craved.

30 But before they turned from the food they

craved, even while it was still in their mouths,


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31 God's anger rose against them; He put to

death the sturdiest among them, cutting down

the young men of Israel.

32In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in

spite of His wonders, they did not believe.


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33So He ended their days in futility and their

ears in terror.

The history of Israel in the Old Testament is

really the history of all Christians. Like Israel,

we have been redeemed through the blood of

the Lamb. And like the people of Israel, we

are heading for the Promised Land.


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What is the one thing you need most on the

journey from Earth to Heaven?

Yes, that's most important (1 Cor. 13:13).

Hope? That's important, too.

Love?


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But I thinkfaith is essential, too.

The one thing you must do is trust God. That's

what the psalmist talks about in this passage.


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The people would not believe in God and

continued to sin. We see the consequence inverse 33:

So He ended their days in futility and their

years in terror.


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When the Israelites got to the edge of the

Promised Land, they refused to go in. They

were at Kadesh-Barnea and would not trustGod to lead them.

So they had to wander around for some 40

years in vanity and emptiness, struggling with

problem after problem.


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Unfortunately, many of God's people are

betweeners--they are living between Egypt

and Canaan.

They have been delivered from bondage by the

blood of the Lamb, but they have never enteredinto their inheritance. They are living between

Good Friday and Easter Sunday.


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Don't be a betweener today. Consider how

God blessed the people of Israel. He sent them

manna and fowl to feed them. He providedthem with water.

But also consider how God disciplined them because of their unbelief. In His patience,

however, He finally brought them through. We

are like the people of Israel.


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Our greatest need is to believe God. We don't

live by explanations; we live by promises.

Today, while you hear His voice, don't hardenyour heart.

Unbelief leads to futility and fear. Perhaps you

are a "betweener" today--refusing to trust God'sleading. When Israel believed the promises o

God, He blessed them. Trust Him, obey Him

and believe Him, and His blessing will come!

Futility and Fear (Devotional)

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