We Depend Upon Him
Yael Eckstein | June 27, 2023
It is the land the LORD your God cares for; the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end. — Deuteronomy 11:12
In Judaism, faith is more a verb; it is something that we do, rather than something we have. These devotions explore the idea of faith as living out our lives in a way that reflects our belief and trust in God. Enjoy!
I recently saw a video clip of the birth of a calf. Within minutes of emerging from its mother’s womb, the calf was already standing up and walking around. Other than being smaller than the mother, there was hardly any difference in function between the two animals. I couldn’t help but think of how different human beings are from animals.
A human baby is completely helpless at birth. But it’s not only at birth. It takes years for a human to be able to care for him or herself in even the most basic ways. Then at the end of life, most humans spend years again in the care of others.
Perhaps God made us this way to prepare us for a life of faith.
Humans are dependent on their mothers and fathers long enough that relying on someone else for survival is a significant part of our life experience before we achieve any kind of independence. There is hardly a greater challenge to faith than our sense of independence.
We Depend Upon Him
Consider this passage in Deuteronomy chapter 11, describing the land of Israel: “The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden. But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land the LORD your God cares for; the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end” (vv. 10-12).
Why didn’t God give Israel a land richer in natural resources? If He wanted to bless His people, why not give them abundant natural water reserves? The answer is simply stated in the final line of the passage we just quoted, “the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.”
In other words, because the land of Israel depends on rainwater, it is perfectly suited for prayer. Had Israel had permanent reservoirs of water, this could compromise our relationship to God. God created a perfect land where people would never forget they depend on Him. Even as we enjoy the abundance that God has given us in our own lives, we must never forget that we depend upon Him and have nothing without Him.
Your Turn:
The greatest risk from a life of abundance is that we could forget to depend on God. Let’s show our faith by sharing God’s gifts with others.