The Power of God in His Deliverance of Israel
“When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language, Judah became His sanctuary, and Israel His dominion. The sea saw it and fled; Jordan turned back. The mountains skipped like rams, the little hills like lambs.
What ails you, O sea, that you fled? O Jordan, that you turned back? O mountains, that you skipped like rams? O little hills, like lambs?
Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, Who turned the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a fountain of waters.”
This is such a short psalm and yet such an important one. There’s a saying that if you want food prices, it’s good if you don’t do it with your mouth full. As a new year begins, we need to look back and reflect on all the great things God has done for us in 2023. And the first lesson we need to learn for the new year is “No Kvetching!”
“Kvetch” is a Yiddish term meaning to complain continually in a nagging tone of voice. Somebody who is kvetchy is a pain in the ear, one of those people whose complaints are as irritating as the screechy sound of fingernails on a chalk board. What do we have to kvetch about?
“You want me to expect great things!” you cry. “What do you mean? 2023 was brutal and I’m glad to be through with it!” Fine. Understood. But, you are still alive to complain. Each day, I care for people with strokes and other problems who are permanently disabled. Many of these people are grateful to God that they are still alive. If your body is working properly and particularly if you are healthy, you need to thank God.
Next, let’s talk about our families. “Don’t get me started!” you respond. “My kids are messing up all over the place and every time they come home, they have another piercing or another tattoo.” Again, tattoos and piercings might not be your thing and you might cringe at some of these things, particularly at the designs of some of the tattoos. But praise God, your kids are alive and they are still coming home. Welcome those kids and be grateful that they are still healthy. There are some parents whose children have disappeared for years, while other parents grieve because children have disowned them, leaving unhealed holes in their hearts. Other parents have celebrated Christmas by placing wreaths on their children’s graves.
We follow two families on Facebook who both have little boys with enormous medical problems. These poor kids sometimes endure several health crises a week; yet, these families continue to love them and to care for their other healthy children as well. When we consider the emotional wringers these families go through, the problems we face appear miniscule by comparison.
“But I hate my job!” you complain. If you have a job, be grateful. The COVID pandemic wiped out huge numbers of small businesses and tourism-based businesses. There are many people who would love to have any kind of job, including the one about which you are complaining. Yes, there are many jobs that are difficult, nasty, or unpleasant. And some bosses are tyrants and bullies. Ask yourself if God has called you to be in your current position. Perhaps you have been called specifically to pray for your boss and your coworkers. Perhaps God is trying to teach you something. And perhaps God is using this job to prepare you for something better.
One lesson this psalm should teach us is to praise God in the middle of our messes. NO KVETCHING ALLOWED! God is still a Redeemer and He can transform us and our problems, if we will allow Him. The first step in allowing God to transform us is to praise and thank Him for our current situation. As we praise Him where we are, we free ourselves to be moved. As long as we are unwilling to thank God for our current situation, we aren’t going to be any more appreciative if God moves us someplace else. The cliché “Bloom where you’re planted” still holds true.
2024 can be a wonderful year if we will only allow God to lead us. But we can’t be led when we are looking backwards, complaining, and dragging emotional baggage into the new year. Don’t start kvetching. Let’s pray.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, 2023 was a very tough year for many of us. Please help us to drop our baggage from last year into Your hands, the only safe place for it, and to allow You to guide us into a bright future. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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