“Like our ancestors, we have sinned. We have done wrong! We have acted wickedly! Our ancestors in Egypt were not impressed by the Lord’s miraculous deeds. They soon forgot His many acts of kindness to them. Instead, they rebelled against Him at the Red Sea.” — Psalms 106:6–7 NLT
Forgetfulness is a human heart condition. With life’s cares and monotony, we tend to operate on autopilot and don’t remember the good things that God has already sent our way. When miracles happen, we often brush them away as coincidence or luck. But when you recognize God’s love for you, you start seeing that none of them were coincidences. Rather, they were divinely orchestrated moves of God.
The Israelites journeyed through the wilderness for forty years, and they saw some pretty amazing miracles. In the book of Psalms, I am often fascinated by how often the writers look back to those miracles. Psalm after psalm, the writers remember the amazing things that the Lord did. I think this was the Old Testament way of renewing one’s mind.
When troubles and sorrow came upon them, the psalmists wrote about how terrible their suffering was. Then, a shift would happen. Instead of spiraling out of control into depression, they would look back at those amazing miracles of their past. Mind you, these were not miracles they themselves had personally seen or experienced; these were miracles their ancestors had experienced. But despite it being history, their souls revived, and the writers began praising God. This pattern is repeated psalm after psalm.
I painted this piece based on the Red Sea miracle described in the Bible. I added layers of texture and paint while praying for those in need of a miracle. As I worked, my soul revived with hope, filled with praise and a song. The texture is intended to show the dry ground. In the painting, a tiny image of Moses with lifted hands stands in contrast to the gigantic walled water. It is a reminder that God still leads people on dry ground today.
…and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. — Exodus 14:22
“Give thanks to him who parted the Red Sea. His faithful love endures forever. He led Israel safely through, His faithful love endures forever.” — Psalms 136:13–14
Remembering our miracles takes the focus off of our dire situations and puts it back on the Mighty God who is endlessly faithful. The same God who led the Israelites through the wilderness, the same God who parted the Red Sea and made a way where there was no way, carries you. He did it once, and He will do it again.
Don’t let your hearts be troubled. The Bible is full of miracles and wonders. When going through a rough time, renew your mind by looking back to one of those miracles. Declare the goodness and greatness of God, praise and worship Him, and witness how your soul soars with gratitude and hope. That in itself becomes a miracle: a soul stuck in the miry pit of darkness is revived with hope.
Would we look back and remember the mighty works of the past? Would we bring to memory how Jesus held us, carried us, and rescued us? Then our sorrow will turn into dancing and our darkness will become light.
