Don't forget who Brought you the Victory

Good morning friends.

Today we're in 1 Samuel 11-12, and if I had to sum up these chapters in one sentence, it would be this:

Don't forget who brought you the victory.

     In Chapter 11, Saul has his best moment. The Spirit of God comes upon him, Israel rallies together, and God gives them a great victory over their enemies.

    But what really stood out to me wasn't the battle. It was what happened afterward. Some people wanted revenge on those who had doubted Saul. They wanted payback. They wanted to settle scores.

     But Saul says Today the Lord has rescued Israel. He gave God the credit.

And that's harder than it sounds.

   Because most of us don't struggle to thank God before the breakthrough. We struggle to remember Him after it. We'll pray when the diagnosis comes. We'll pray when the bills pile up. We'll pray when the relationship is falling apart. We'll pray when we don't know what to do.

     But what about when the prayer gets answered?

What about when the door opens?

    What about when the breakthrough finally comes?

Do we still remember who carried us there.

    Samuel's goodbye speech in Chapter 12 is basically one long reminder to Israel to look back and remember what God has done. Again and again God rescued them. Again and again God provided. Again and again God remained faithful.

             And somehow they kept forgetting.

   I think we're a lot like Israel sometimes. We build memorials to our accomplishments instead of God's faithfulness. We celebrate the victory and forget the One who won it.

That's why I love 1 Samuel 12:24 "Only fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you."

                                 Consider.

Stop. Pause. Remember.

Remember the prayers He answered. Remember the doors He opened. Remember the times He protected you when you didn't even know you needed protecting. Remember the seasons He carried you when you didn't think you'd make it through.

     Gratitude has a way of keeping our hearts close to God. So before we ask God for the next thing let's take a moment to thank Him for the last thing.

Lets Consider what great things He has done for us. 

Love Pastor Mandy

Ark of Hope Ministry 

Daily reading 1 Samuel 11-12