God Removes & Proves

Psalm 81

God Removes — vs. 6

Israel was in Egypt under a heavy burden, but God lovingly lifted it.

God continues to remove burdens today. 1 Peter 5:7 reminds us that all His children who bring their burdens to Him can have them taken away. What a comfort! There’s no need to carry burdens alone when you have a loving and caring God eager to help you. God is a burden-remover! 

God Proves — vs. 7

God mentioned that He tested Israel at the waters of Meribah. Exodus 17:1-7 recounts this event where God provided water from the rock, yet they doubted, complained, and tested Him by asking, “Is the LORD among us, or not?”

God sometimes allows trials and difficult situations to test us, to see if we will turn to Him or doubt Him. May we all remain faithful in whatever He chooses to send our way.

From verses 14-16, we see that God could have defeated their enemies (vs. 14) and fed and satisfied them (vs. 16). He wanted to, but He did not because their actions prevented Him. As clearly stated in Psalm 78:41, they “limited” God. In Matthew 13:58, the Lord wanted to perform mighty works but did not because the people did not believe. In Matthew 23:37, God wanted to lovingly gather the people, but they did not want it. How often does God want to do something in our lives, but our attitudes or actions hinder Him from working. When God tests you, do not limit Him! Great are the things God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9), so do not let doubt or discouragement limit Him!