It has been no secret our region has been in a cycle of drought for several years. It has been getting dangerously dry; to the point farmers were wondering if they should even seed their land this spring. Ranchers have been hauling water for weeks or months due to the lack of spring run off to fill up the sloughs and dugouts.
I’ve shared with you how I’ve learned to trust God, “Jehovah Jireh” our Provider, for feed and water for our horses as we downsized to a much smaller land base. This year, I moved into a new place of trust. I rarely even gave the drought a thought, learning to take my thoughts captive and go to the place of full trust in the God-of-more-than-enough. I determined in my heart and mind that God would supply as He promised and that it was useless to meditate on thoughts of worry and fear.
Only a couple weeks ago, we received a wide-spread gentle rain that breathed life into our landscape once again. In only a couple days, one could see the grass begin to spring forth. Although that rain was not a guarantee of enough moisture for the year, it certainly saved the day! Our entire region narrowly escaped utter financial devastation with that very timely rain. The amount of financial blessing that particular rain provided would’ve been in the billions of dollars.
Once again, we’ve had another widespread rain for several days. Our yard and pasture are now starting to show effects of the saturation of that liquid gold from heaven. This last rain we received was not even forecasted. It just showed up! Within two weeks the dire conditions have completely turned around. We are so blessed!
I was chatting with someone the other day about how much rain they had received. They had been complaining and worrying throughout the dry winter and spring of how they were going to make it through the devastating circumstances staring them in the face. Once the first spring rain came, this person started to become complacent and even unthankful when several days of work were ‘hampered’ by rain. This person had become unthankful for the rain — I could hardly believe what my ears were hearing!
The Word of God mentions in 2 Timothy 3:2 that in the last days “…men shall be …unthankful.” The Greek word “acharistos” means that “a once-thankful person has now become unthankful”. Paul mentions in his text that people will become “…so unthankful, ungrateful and unappreciative that they feel entitled to everything” (taken from Rick Renner’s “Last Days Survival Guide”). Many, in this day, are ruled by a sense of entitlement. They have “an unrealistic, unmerited, or inappropriate expectation of favourable living conditions and favourable treatment at the hands of others.” Interestingly, a sense of entitlement gives key signs suggesting that an entitled person could be narcissistic.
Our last days society has fallen prey to entitlement which is a breeding ground for being self-focused, self-absorbed and self-centredness. Dangerously, it focuses on taking, not giving. Those who seek their own ways and rights end up feeling dissatisfied, empty and disillusioned.“They have never learned the spiritual law that happiness is only attainable where there is a thankful heart.”
“For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” Romans 1:21
More on this next week… Prayer: God, expose where unthankfulness has taken root in our hearts and deliver us from this evil. Amen.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
