Your own eyes have seen all the great work of the LORD
which He did (Deuteronomy 11:7, NASB).
I was 26 years old before I came to know the Lord personally. Prior to that I knew and, to some extent, believed the basic tenets of Christianity, including that Jesus “died for the sins of the world.” Unfortunately that didn’t impact me until I understood that He died for ME, for MY sins. That changed everything.
It’s amazing how me-centered we are, isn’t it? Even after we become believers and spend time growing spiritually, we still fight that tendency to think the universe revolves around us. And yet there are times that God wants us to personalize our faith; Deuteronomy 11 is a great example of that.
As a matter of fact, God spends a lot of time in Deuteronomy reminding and recounting His many amazing and merciful deeds on behalf of the Israelites. He wants them, as a nation of chosen people, to remember all that He has done for them so they won’t be drawn away by false gods or start thinking they accomplished anything by their own efforts.
But Deuteronomy 11:7 makes it personal: “Your own eyes have seen all the great work of the LORD which He did.” Yes, God is speaking to Israel as a nation, much as He speaks to the Church as a whole. But He also speaks to individuals, reminding us of what we have personally seen Him do for us. I am always blessed to read stories of what God has done for His people throughout the ages, but I am also blessed when I stop and remember all that He has done for me as an individual. My eyes truly have seen amazing things, times where God intervened on my behalf, and reflecting on those times encourages me when I face trials today.
Like the Israelites of old, we must not allow ourselves to be drawn away by false gods—and the world is full of them!—or be lulled by our egos into thinking we’ve accomplished anything on our own efforts. If we will make it a practice to meditate on God’s acts of love and kindness to us over the years, both personally and as a corporate Body of believers, we will certainly be more apt to cling to and trust Him for all that yet lies ahead.
You are so correct in recognizing that if “me” sits on the throne, there is no room for “Him”. I love Jesus more each day and this fact helps me to place the Lord first more times than not. But the devil gives us a daily battle with this free will choice. It’s like a game of chess. Who wins in the end depends on who we personally choose to lead, God or our own selfish and feeble selves.
Amen, my friend. You nailed it!