Sometimes it seems God associates Himself to our needs and vulnerabilities. The Israelites were once slaves living in the land of Egypt. Life got so bad for them that they cried out to God. He delivered them. They began their journey to the promised land and even heard the physical voice of God, to help them remember His commandments and to believe that He really does speak to Moses. He did this so that they would obey what Moses relayed to them whenever he passed on God’s commandments.

The sound of a loud trumpet and thunder was scary to the Israelites. Coupled with the trembling mountain, it triggered a fearful response. They stayed back from the presence of God on the mountain, as they were instructed too. They trembled at the sight. You don’t forget events like that. They become etched in ones memory. The slavery, the deliverance from it and then the encounter with God in a trembling mountain. Yet the Israelites forgot all the experiences.

Driven by lusts they went after the Gods of other nations and even made some new God’s from scratch…….the golden calf…….

Their oppressive, supernatural and dependent experiences were designed to help them remember God. We hear voices and sounds with the ear and interpret them in the brain. With God you hear by His Word and your obedience to the Word produces an experience which in turn provides a solution. The experience is sometimes not always pleasant but the outcome ALWAYS is.

Thirst in a desert, slavery in a foreign land, the voice of God in a trembling mountain are all intense experiences. But as the Israelites received, freedom from Egyptian slavery, the ten commandments at the trembling mountain, water at Meribah to relieve their thirst, so we receive answers to our prayers when we go through hardships. In the hardship, God expects us to turn to Him and not from Him.

Inside everyone is a desire and a will. It is usually at odds with the Word of God. Our desires and will is usually limited to our earthly comforts and is very often self centred. One way to overcome our will and desire is to project our lives into the future. Don’t live for now. Live for eternity. there is nothing wrong with wanting nice things but it is when those needs take us away from trusting God that we stumble in our walk with Him. We seem to do alright for a while perhaps till we die even, but it won’t last in the short term ……or long.

When our minds are focused on things everlasting, it will be easier, during hardships to focus on God Who is eternal. We will turn to Him in every situation and rely on Him for everything. We will not fall into the trap of blocking out the voice of God by following our own ways (desire and will). Our victory would be forever! The last 4 verses of Psalm 81, sum it up:

“Oh, that My people would listen to Me,
That Israel would walk in My ways!
14 
“Then I would quickly subdue and humble their enemies
And turn My hand against their adversaries;
15 
Those who hate the Lord would pretend obedience to Him and cringe before Him,
And their time of punishment would be forever.
16 
“But I would feed Israel with the finest of the wheat;
And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Scripture from the amplified version of Bible Gateway

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