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Psalms 78:40-49
How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the wasteland! Again and again they put God to the test; they vexed the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember his power—the day he redeemed them from the oppressor, the day he displayed his signs in Egypt, his wonders in the region of Zoan. He turned their river into blood; they could not drink from their streams. He sent swarms of flies that devoured them, and frogs that devastated them. He gave their crops to the grasshopper, their produce to the locust. He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamore- figs with sleet. He gave over their cattle to the hail, their livestock to bolts of lightning. He unleashed against them his hot anger, his wrath, indignation and hostility—a band of destroying angels.
Difficult times often follow great spiritual victories. The prophet Isaiah depended on God to singlehandedly defeat the 450 prophets of Baal, then ran from the wicked Queen Jezebel. Peter’s great confession of Jesus was followed by his adamant denial. David built a powerful kingdom…then there was that encounter with Bathsheba.
Israel had experienced one of the defining moments of the Old Testament. God miraculously delivered them from slavery in Egypt. However, after their exodus they spent forty years wandering in the desert. They forgot about God’s power and put Him to the test.
Spiritual victories are fantastic. Mountaintop experiences are exhilarating, but be careful coming back down to the foothills. Scripture reminds us that Satan hits us when and where we are most vulnerable. After the triumphs he is there to trip us up.
Father, thank You for the spiritual highs. Thank You for the mountaintop experiences but please don’t let me drop my guard. Remind me that with spiritual victory often comes vulnerability. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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