God has  higher plans, greater purposes for us than we can know. We, however, like the Israelites, persist in our rebellious ways, refusing to trust Him. “…. they did not believe his promise” (Ps 106:24b).

We look not to God, but to the problems before us; we fail to recognize that each difficulty, each obstacle, each burden is a chance to see God's promises come to pass, to see Him act, to bring Him glory. We fail to flee to the Word, to remind ourselves of God's promises and how He fulfilled them in the past.

“They grumbled in their tents and did not obey the LORD” (Ps 106:25). Lord, we fail to praise you for the difficulties you allow in our lives. We choose NOT to see them as a call to action, to an adventure with you, a chance to join you in your great redemptive plan for the universe. We see only our own inconvenience.

Therefore we grumble, bringing great dishonor to you—our unbelief, our rebellion against your Word and Character steal glory and praise and honor from you before the unseen hosts of demons and angels, from before the people around us, from our own eyes. We dishonor you for the sake of our own convenience!

Forgive us, Lord God, Heavenly Father. For your name’s sake cleanse us, bring us forward in our relationship with you. Help us to spot our sins, our selfish tendencies, our self-absorbed self-serving, self-centered orientation, and to reject them all.

Help us to walk instead in the light of your gracious, powerful, wise and loving presence, lifting up your name in praise for all that comes to us:

-- both light and shadow,

--what is pleasant and distressing,

--positive and negative,

--health and sickness,

--success and failure,

--fulfillment and emptiness,

--fruitfulness and frustration.

For then we will be joining you in your great plan of redemption and transformation of all.