December 10 – Satisfying your appetite

But my people did not obey me; Israel did not submit to me. I gave them over to their stubborn desires; they did what seemed right to them.  If only my people would obey me!  If only Israel would keep my commands!  Then I would quickly subdue their enemies, and attack their adversaries.  (May those who hate the Lord cower in fear before him! May they be permanently humiliated!) I would feed Israel the best wheat, and would satisfy your appetite with honey from the rocky cliffs.  (Psalm 81:11-16 NET)

There are times when God’s people go through trials to test their faith because God wants to strengthen them.  Though they’ve done nothing wrong, persecutions and attacks of the devil happen so they can overcome and see greater victories.  But there are other times when people of God are “handed over to Satan.”  That sounds harsh, but it’s a reality that can be read about in 1 Corinthians 5:5, and 1 Timothy 1:20.  In the passage above, God says that He had to hand Israel over to their stubborn desires and in the end they were taken captive by their enemies and humiliated until they learned to repent. 

Take a look at your life right now.  Are the trials you are going through the result of a faithful warrior for God who is experiencing the devil’s counter-attack?  If that’s the case, the promise of this passage, and of all of God’s promises, is yours.  God will satisfy your appetite with the finest bread and honey from the rocky cliffs, which means even in the midst of a harsh wilderness experience, He will provide delightful sustenance and sweetness. 

But if the harshness you are going through now is because you’ve stubbornly refused to listen to God and have chosen your own desires, maybe He’s handed you over to know the reality of serving the devil instead of Him.  You may be reaping the bitter fruit of your own selfishness.  There are many professing Christians who have been wandering in self-imposed wildernesses for years, because they want God to fit into their mold rather than submit to His ways.  Their enemies overcome them, sickness, depression, financial ruin, broken homes and relationships, immoral tendencies and unethical habits pile on one after another, but they insist that they are true believers because their shelves are packed with Christian literature.  

Not every hardship is a result of sin or rebellion against God, but it’s important to know what God sees when He looks at you.  Are you His faithful warrior under enemy attack, or are you rebellious Israel who needs to learn a lesson?  What His promises do make clear, is that the moment we obey and keep His commands, He quickly subdues our enemies.  When we fight the devil and make him cower before God, we bring honor both to God’s name and to ourselves.  Seek God’s wisdom now, search your own heart and find out where you stand before Him.  Today this promise is available to anyone who chooses to obey Him.  If you do, get ready for your enemies to be defeated and to enjoy some sweet sustenance in the wilderness.