I cared for you in the wilderness, In the land of drought.
[And] As they had their pasture, they became satisfied,
And being satisfied, their heart became proud;
Therefore, they forgot Me.
– Hosea 13:6
Paraphrase: “I took care of you through all of those difficult times, do you remember? You were hurting — you were needy and you desperately sought Me with all your heart. Then, when I rescued you and you didn’t have that urgent need, when everything was okay — you didn’t have time for Me. You forgot Me.”
All of our “obvious needs” have been satisfied! Therefore, we are content. We are no longer struggling for sustenance for ourselves or those under our care; we aren’t crying, we aren’t scared, the kids are doing all right, I have plenty . . .. So we say, “Take your rest, my soul, for all is well. I don’t need to continue in this state of discipline; I no longer need to rise early and work into the darkness of the night. I have plenty for myself. I have done well. My provisions have proven adequate. I am proud of my accomplishments.”
And in this state of “false security” and pride, we forget God!
There are certain things we must remember:
“For not by might shall a man prevail” (I Samuel 2:9c).’Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts (Zech.4:6).”. . . for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). “For in Him we live and move and exist” (Acts 17:28).”Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God” (II Corinthians 3:5).
And we say — without analyzing what we are saying–
“I’m doing quite well on my own. Everything is running smoothly. I’ll call on God if I need Him. He expects me to take care of myself, doesn’t He? I don’t want to use my Christianity as a crutch — that’s what most people use it for, isn’t it? A crutch. I’m capable. I’m strong. I can do it by myself.”
And we forget God! Beware! He may be forgotten, but He certainly is not gone! He’s still in control and there will come the night when you will once again acknowledge Your desperate need for Him. You’ll be in the wilderness, searching for Him and you will find Him — when you search for Him with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13).
Lord, I acknowledge my need for You — constantly. I acknowledge Your watch-care and praise You for it. Please protect me from my self-sufficiency. Open my heart to revel in Your love for me. I am but a pilgrim here on earth: How I need security, stability, protection, and love. I long to bask in all of these things which You provide for me. I long for this more than I can tell (Psalm 119: 18-20 My paraphrase).
But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me,
And the Lord has forgotten me.”
[Never!]
“Can a woman forget her nursing child
And have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget, but I will not forget you.
“Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands . . . ”
Isaiah 49: 14-16