Permanent or Temporary Loss of Blessing

Scripture:

For forty years I was grieved with that generation,
And said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts,
And they do not know My ways.’

Psalm 95:10

Observation: The psalmist encourages obedience and joyful worship to the Lord, and then gives the Lord's words in this matter ... a reminder to not harden our hearts and turn away from the Lord's teaching and precepts. The generation in the wilderness did that - with full knowledge of God and recent displays of his amazing love, they celebrated by committing many sins - and as a result God caused that entire generation to wander for 40 years and die in the wilderness. God judged that that generation, who had first-hand knowledge of the love and deliverance of Yahweh, still did not know and understand God's ways.

Application: Today, I sit in a nation that quite literally has everything. We have an abundance of food, amazing natural beauty, vast knowledge and skills, easy access to merriment, and great wealth to procure what we want. And we actively reject the Lord. In fact, we actively give ourselves credit for all these things, ignoring the provision - and thus the ways of God's love - in our lives.

Isn't that part of the lesson with the golden calf? When the Jews left Egypt, God promised and give them the plunder of Egypt, and by divine action had Egypt hand over to these slaves vast amounts of gold and other riches. Literally days later, the Jews melted down that gift to actively sin. Moses didn't have them break apart of the golden calf and store the gold for a better use, but rather destroyed it, forcing the people to eat it, and thus turning it to total waste. It was thus a blessing totally removed from the people.

Today, God is removing our nation's health. He is removing our access to freedom. He is removing our merriment. He is removing our access to many foods and drinks. He is removing our entertainment.

How many of these will be permanent ... a permanent loss of a past blessing? The answer is likely that some are, in fact, a permanent loss of a blessing our nation had enjoyed. How many of these are temporary and exist only so we can learn the lesson of honoring the Lord and return to his laws and precepts? The answer likely depends on our response.

Prayer: Lord, I know your hand is upon our nation, and today that is a hand of judgment. Yet I know it is also a hand of mercy, and both of these are born of your love. May your people, those who believe in you and in Jesus Christ, have strength to call attention to our nation's sins and pride. I pray that you relent and bring an end to this plague. However, thy will be done. Amen.