1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:09,000 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:13,440 Speaker 2: Welcome to the Crosswalk devotional. We're glad to have you 3 00:00:13,520 --> 00:00:17,280 Speaker 2: listening with us. Today's topic is about reflection as a 4 00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:21,600 Speaker 2: spiritual discipline that builds faith. We'll return with the devotional 5 00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:38,440 Speaker 2: after a brief message from our sponsors. When life feels chaotic, 6 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:42,920 Speaker 2: how remembering God's faithfulness rebuilds your faith? Written and read 7 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:45,839 Speaker 2: by Jennifer Slattery. I will open my mouth with a 8 00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:50,839 Speaker 2: parable I will utter hidden things from old Psalm seventy eight. 9 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:54,720 Speaker 2: Too Lately life has felt heavy and chaotic, hasn't it? 10 00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:57,880 Speaker 2: Sometimes it feels like everything is spinning backwards, upside down 11 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:01,080 Speaker 2: and inside out, And frankly, there's not much I can 12 00:01:01,120 --> 00:01:03,600 Speaker 2: do about it. I can't fix our economy or prevent 13 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:08,240 Speaker 2: the next recession. I can't undo the division and polarization 14 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:12,520 Speaker 2: plaguing our nation. I can't solve my loved one's problems 15 00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:16,520 Speaker 2: or prevent their pain. And when everything hits simultaneously or 16 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:20,600 Speaker 2: my hardship continues for any length of time, I temporarily 17 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:24,000 Speaker 2: lose sight of the power, promises and love of Christ. 18 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 2: Such forgetfulness is dangerous in times of crisis, because it 19 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:32,640 Speaker 2: tempts me to rely on myself and seek control but 20 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:35,840 Speaker 2: I've created enough message to know the foolishness of any 21 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:40,720 Speaker 2: so called solutions not provided by Christ. Thankfully, he never 22 00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:45,120 Speaker 2: leaves me to navigate life's challenges alone. I've watched him 23 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:48,880 Speaker 2: resurrect my marriage when it seemed dead. He's provided for 24 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:53,040 Speaker 2: us in miraculous ways and guided us through confusion and uncertainty. 25 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:56,360 Speaker 2: My life has been a living testimony of His grace, 26 00:01:56,800 --> 00:02:01,240 Speaker 2: a grace that, when remembered and reflected upon on deepens 27 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:05,480 Speaker 2: my faith, strengthens my obedience, and purifies my love for 28 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:09,240 Speaker 2: the one who never leaves my side. I see this 29 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:13,840 Speaker 2: strategic interaction all throughout Scripture. We humans excel at falling 30 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:17,760 Speaker 2: into messes. The Lord excels pulling us out and setting 31 00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:21,440 Speaker 2: us on a new, writer, freer path. This is the 32 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:24,959 Speaker 2: message Asaf, the prophet and royal musician who penn Psalm 33 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:28,600 Speaker 2: seventy eight can Fade. He wanted the Israelites to consider 34 00:02:28,639 --> 00:02:32,799 Speaker 2: God's faithfulness to his often faithless and rebellious people. He 35 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:36,560 Speaker 2: asked them to listen and then to repeat the lessons 36 00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:39,320 Speaker 2: he taught as a way to encourage their souls yes, 37 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:42,720 Speaker 2: but also to build faith into the next generation to 38 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:47,200 Speaker 2: help insulate them from falling into the same self defeating 39 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:51,639 Speaker 2: traps as the older generation. Verses six through eight. Scripture 40 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:55,080 Speaker 2: records some of the most shocking examples in Exodus, a 41 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:59,239 Speaker 2: historical narrative recounting the people's liberation from slavery and oppression 42 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:02,560 Speaker 2: and jury to the promised land. They should have completed 43 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:05,200 Speaker 2: this two hundred to four hundred mile trek within ten 44 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:08,320 Speaker 2: days a few weeks max. But when it came time 45 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:12,359 Speaker 2: to enter their new God given land, they refused out 46 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:16,799 Speaker 2: of fear. This after having witnessed the Lord's miraculous intervention 47 00:03:17,320 --> 00:03:22,280 Speaker 2: numerous times. Consider how their story began. An entire population 48 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:27,040 Speaker 2: held captive, powerless for centuries. They had no recourse, no voice, 49 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:31,240 Speaker 2: and likely assumed things would never get better. How could 50 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:34,320 Speaker 2: they a week and beaten down people group possibly break 51 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:37,080 Speaker 2: free from the most powerful ruler in the ancient world 52 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:40,520 Speaker 2: at that time. That's also why God's rescue would have 53 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:44,760 Speaker 2: made such an impact. He infused hope into a seemingly 54 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:49,000 Speaker 2: hopeless situation, proving his power over the most oppressive and 55 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:53,600 Speaker 2: established systems and history's most vicious tyrants. But then soon 56 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:58,040 Speaker 2: after their liberation, they found themselves trapped again, this time 57 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:00,320 Speaker 2: with a large body of water on one side and 58 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:05,880 Speaker 2: a skilled, armed and trained military advancing on the other. Understandably, 59 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:11,240 Speaker 2: the people panicked. They deemed their circumstances hopeless. But again 60 00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:15,040 Speaker 2: God came through, parted the water so they could pass 61 00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:19,080 Speaker 2: across on dry ground, then swept their cruel abusers into 62 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:23,360 Speaker 2: the sea. Again and again, God's people found themselves in 63 00:04:23,480 --> 00:04:29,320 Speaker 2: dire situations, and again and again God came through, proving 64 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:34,120 Speaker 2: his love, demonstrating his attentive care, and each instance he 65 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:39,120 Speaker 2: presented them with an opportunity to develop deeper faith, greater 66 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:43,360 Speaker 2: trust in their maker, and a more secure connection with him. Sadly, 67 00:04:43,839 --> 00:04:47,480 Speaker 2: they never seemed to accept his beautiful invitation because they 68 00:04:47,760 --> 00:04:55,280 Speaker 2: refuse to learn from their past. Instead, they remained reactive, fearful, anxious, 69 00:04:55,839 --> 00:05:00,359 Speaker 2: and in repeated chaos with themselves, one another and their lord. 70 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:04,599 Speaker 2: Ace have challenged the later generations to consider their ancestors 71 00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:08,039 Speaker 2: self defeating patterns so that they could learn to live differently, 72 00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:11,520 Speaker 2: with more faith and less fear, and he did so 73 00:05:11,720 --> 00:05:16,800 Speaker 2: by highlighting God's faithfulness, often displayed when his people behave 74 00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:23,000 Speaker 2: most faith less lee intersecting life and faith. Each day 75 00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:25,640 Speaker 2: God offers us the same lesson He invites us to 76 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:29,760 Speaker 2: engage in intentional reflection, where we periodically pause to recall 77 00:05:29,880 --> 00:05:33,960 Speaker 2: evidence of His love and examples of his care. This 78 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:38,039 Speaker 2: remembering strengthens our faith and our attachment to our savior 79 00:05:38,760 --> 00:05:42,400 Speaker 2: as we consistently draw closer to him, listen for his 80 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:46,480 Speaker 2: life parables, and fortify our souls with truth. He steadies us. 81 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:50,760 Speaker 2: He enables us to stand firm, immovable, regardless of how 82 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:55,120 Speaker 2: shaky the ground beneath us feels. How might intentionally remembering 83 00:05:55,200 --> 00:05:59,920 Speaker 2: God's power promises, presence and provision increase your faith and peace, 84 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:03,239 Speaker 2: and decrease your anxiety for whatever difficulties you might face. 85 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:08,040 Speaker 2: Perhaps journal on one instance each day. In a year's time, 86 00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:12,240 Speaker 2: you'll have three hundred and sixty five accounts of His 87 00:06:12,320 --> 00:06:15,000 Speaker 2: faithful care for you and those you love. 88 00:06:19,480 --> 00:06:22,520 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to today's devotional. If you liked what 89 00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:24,560 Speaker 1: you heard today, we want to make sure you know 90 00:06:24,640 --> 00:06:28,600 Speaker 1: about our sister podcast your Daily Prayer. When you follow 91 00:06:28,640 --> 00:06:31,960 Speaker 1: your daily prayer in your favorite podcast app, you'll get 92 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:35,120 Speaker 1: a brand new prayer and devotional each day, So your 93 00:06:35,160 --> 00:06:38,800 Speaker 1: days begin in conversation with God. If you're looking to 94 00:06:38,839 --> 00:06:41,600 Speaker 1: grow in prayer, or start your day with your heart 95 00:06:41,640 --> 00:06:45,760 Speaker 1: focused on the right things. 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