He Gives the Power [Deuteronomy 8]

 ⁷"For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills; ⁸a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; ⁹a land where you will eat food without scarcity, in which you will not lack anything; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper.

 ¹⁰"When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you. ¹¹"Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today; ¹²otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, ¹³and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, ¹⁴then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. ¹⁵"He led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water; He brought water for you out of the rock of flint. ¹⁶"In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end. ¹⁷"Otherwise, you may say in your heart, 'My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.'

 ¹⁸"But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

God had led them, fed them, humbled them and disciplined them, all in preparation for taking them to the good land He had promised.  He wanted them to be satisfied and to in turn bless Him for what He had provided.  But God knew how quickly they would forget the truth and live out of pride.

I know how true this is in my own life.  Even as God has done tremendous change and healing in me, I very quickly take the credit for what has happened.  How quickly my flesh turns to self-provision (pride).  He is calling me to be careful.  To not forget Him.  How, Lord?

What does it mean to turn and bless Him in response to His provision?  I looked up the Hebrew word "bless" and it means to bow in adoration, praise, salute.  As I turn my focus on who He is and what He has done, as I proclaim my adoration, my focus will be on Him instead of on me.  He gives the power to go into this place of blessing Him.

Lord, I thank You that You know us so well.  You know how we need Your power to remember You.  You are a God who takes exquisite care of us.  By Your power cause us not to forget that it is You that has provided us with "everything pertaining to life and godliness" (1 Peter 1:3).