Why Do We Forget What God Has Done? | Exodus 15 | Crossroads Daily

I want to judge them super harshly, and then I look at myself and I'm like, actually, I really can't. I do that. How often is it like, okay, there's a deep prayer I've had, or God comes through, or something happens, and it's a beautiful thing. And I just breeze past it, or take it for granted, or act like I'm entitled to it. Like, I'm like, oh, like, so I gotta empathize with them a little bit. I mean, and it's three days later. Okay, three days is enough time to get really thirsty and hungry, and they're worried about food. So I'm like, okay, like, I can see why all, when I'm hungry, hangry, yes. Like, I mean, when I'm hungry or thirsty, all of a sudden, I'm a different person. My husband starts, like, cowering in the corner, like, oh no. This is the Crossroads Daily. No experts, no perfect people, just honest conversations about what happens when the Bible shows up in real life. Hey, I'm Alex. I'm Arturo. I'm Kirsten. I'm Peter. And today we are celebrating. The Israelites have just passed through the Red Sea

on dry land. They've made it to the other side. They are officially out of Egypt, and we are praising the Lord today in Exodus 15. Okay, quick, rapid fire. What is your go-to celebration song? Bonus points for singing? I have no, I don't know. I mean, we all immediately had, celebrate good times, come on. Except if I hear it at a wedding, enough. Yes. It's too much. After the first line, it's too much. Yeah. Anything by Doja Cat, too. Just throwing that out there. Doja Cat, my man. I can not let this go. That explains so much about him. Doja Cat. I feel like mine is the, all I do is win, win, win, no matter what. Like, that's what I would be singing. I mean, there's Eye of the Tiger, there's some classics, right? Yeah, there's some bangers. Oh my gosh. You know, Rocky, everybody? I've got a random one, it doesn't make sense.

I'm not gonna share it. Go ahead. Oh, come on. Still Fly, Big Timers. Check it out. Still Fly. Gator Boots. Can you sing a little? You have to sing it. Gator Boots with the pimped out Gucci suit. Ain't got something, but I'm still fly. That's my celebration song. I never heard that before in my life. As a metal cover of it. That's all we have today. I'm just kidding. Check it out. So, we are in the midst of celebration. We're singing whatever that song is on the other side of the Red Sea. And guys, I counted. We are in celebration and not two verses later, the Israelites, it says they start grumbling again. Right. They are in celebration and they immediately are faced with another challenge where they are grumbling and faced with a choice. What do we do? Are we going to trust God? Or are we going to depend on him?

It's a choice that they're faced with time and time and time again. And so, even though they just saw God's faithfulness, they forget. Three days before. Yes, three days before. And I don't know. Why do you guys think it's so easy to forget God's faithfulness? Let's say I want to judge them super harshly and then I look at myself and I'm like, actually, I really can't. I do that. How often is it like, okay, there's a deep prayer I've had or God comes through or something happens and it's a beautiful thing. And how does Breeze pass it or take it for granted or act like I'm entitled to it? I'm like, oh. Like, so, I got to empathize with them a little bit. I mean, and it's three days later. Okay, three days is enough time to get really thirsty and hungry and they're worried about food. So, I'm like, okay, I can see why all. When I'm hungry. I get hangry. I mean, when I'm hungry or thirsty, all of a sudden I'm a different person. My husband starts like cowering in the corner like, oh no. You forget everything.

Proximity, man. There's studies about it. It just takes a couple of people to be in a room full of many. And it just takes one person, maybe a couple. And then it just sours the bunch. That's a thing. You can look it up. I mean, it's real. It's unsurprising. Because what they didn't have that we have now is case study after case study that says all you need is one in the room to start and the rest are just going to follow suit. Wow. Yeah, and it's true to all of us. Proximity, man, unfortunately. So, pick the right people to be around you, I guess, is what you're saying there too, Arturo. That is what I'm saying. There's also some internal stuff that you could do too. Yeah. Yeah, I find it's really, it's easy to start listening to other people's voices, even though I'm like, I know this is true. I know this is true. Because either I've experienced it or because God says it's true. But then other people are like, is it? And that's a really easy.

way where we can start to forget or doubt can seep in. Feels so like Garden of Eden, like just the original, you know, serpent in the like, but like, are you actually going to die? Is that really what God said? Yeah. Is God really good? Yeah. So wild. And sometimes it's with the best of intentions, too, that someone is asking you those questions. But one of the things that God says in this is asking the Israelites to diligently listen for him. And so what does diligently listening for God, not other people, what does that look like for you all? I mean, one thing is what we're doing today, what we're doing on this podcast, what we're doing in the app. I mean, it's reading your Bible every day, because we know these are God's words. This is his voice. And the more you familiarize yourself with it, the more you read it, the more you'll be able to recognize it in all the noise, everybody else around you. And so if you don't know what he sounds like, you're not gonna be able to hear him. So reading your Bible is a great first step. Yeah. What does he sound like to you? I'll pull something right out of the song. This has been something God's been leading me through recently, actually. In verse 13, he says, you have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed. The phrase steadfast love, he was taking me on a little journey through scripture of like all the different places he talks about his character as steadfastly loving his people or steadfastly loving me and digging into like what that means. And I'm like, oh, like, his character is consistent throughout the entire thing.

This was Old and New Testament, like all through, like I was, it was really special. And like those kinds of moments, it's like, oh, like, I wouldn't get that unless I'm just, I'm just reading. So yeah. Yeah. That's my first. I mean, that's my, that's my first tip. I'm sure there's lots of, lots of other people have some good, some good stuff. So. Great. Yeah. I would say for me, I'm a very simple guy and my curiosity is usually through fiction. If I read, if I see something, Beetlejuice, I'm just going to get to it. Beetlejuice. I already said his name twice. So I'm not going to say the third time. Beetlejuice. Wait. I didn't say it. I remember watching that movie and going, it ought to be true that for a fictional character, if it can be summoned, saying its name three times, what would happen if I just tried to summon God? What if I just asked God to come maybe three times? And you know, the whole habit thing, you got to do it 40 times or whatever. And so sometimes I have to literally, at least me personally, summon him in the, in the crowd of noise. And I have to say, God, you're with me or God be with me. And I have to say it enough. And maybe it's my mind convincing itself, or maybe it is that he actually shows up. But when I am surrounded by the naysayers, when I'm surrounded by someone that wants

to start grumbling, sometimes I feel pressed to like, get everyone back by saying, hey, let's remember God. But I'll be honest, more oftentimes than not, to keep myself sane. I'm usually saying it under my breath or in my head. I need you, God, God, God, God need you here. There's too much going on around me. And I can only do so much to convince them to remember you. I need to remember you're here. I need to know that you're here. So I need to say things like those songs. I don't recite the whole thing, but it's very simply thank you, God, or God, you're here. And like I said, whether it's me believing it or because it actually happens, I feel he shows up. Yeah. Yeah. You're in good company. Arturo. St. Patrick has a prayer that's very famous. He does it. That's exactly what he does in the prayer. Shout out to St. Patrick. Shout out to St. Patrick. I'm the same way though, Arturo, seriously, I, if I'm honest with myself, I can't weed out the other voices on my own. Like I need God to make his louder. And it comes from just like praying for distractions to be taken away, getting on my knees, like my physical posture changing to where like I almost am putting myself in a position to hear him better. And that's just, I have to change my patterns of my thoughts and rely on him because I can't do it on my own.

If I'm really honest with myself, now, is that every single time? No. But I have seen myself as I've gotten older become more and more easily riled up against the goodness of God's plans for me and the people around me, which is not how I used to be. When I first started following Jesus, I was like, this can not get any better. Like he. Is like God is before me. It's almost like seeing that pillar of fire and smoke like I can see him he's right there like that's how it was for the first years of my faith and then I So easily have just veered of like working out of my own power and my own voice. Yes. We even have ourself talk That I think is actually the most distracting But like Kirsten you've done this before Kirsten you could like push through this Kirsten you're Badass, you did like take that on instead of just being like no But what does God want and what is he saying to me in this moment? Cuz it's usually not that sure Yeah. Yeah, so it sounds like both other people's voices and our own can actually be the reason why We forget. Yeah, God's goodness his faithfulness and diligently listening is That's an active thing it's not just a passive thing I think every single thing that each of us have talked about is some sort of actionable Way that we're saying God we want to listen to you. We want to remember So whatever that is for you today, whether you're in a season of celebration or you're in a season of questioning Maybe hearing some outside voices or maybe even just your own take one step today Whether it's reading your Bible or maybe it's getting on your knees and reminding yourself and letting God remind you who he is