Look!

"His wonders that He had shown them."
Psalm 78:11

I was driving down the street yesterday, and saw one of my favorite sights:  a mom walking with her young child.  The child saw something in the sidewalk that was worth a second notice, and pulled away from the mom to get a closer look.  This sight, however, quickly turned into one of my least favorite sights: the child pointing at the fascinating thing, and looking up at Mom ~ and Mom just continuing to walk...

What did he see?  Animal, vegetable or mineral?  Whatever it was, either Mom didn't think it was worthy of slowing down, or she never even bothered to find out.  And while I think it's kind of sad that she didn't explore a little, or validate her little boy's interest, I also don't know if she was in a hurry, or if he had a habit of stopping to look twice at every leaf, rock and bug.  That can be tiring, if you're the parent.

But in a way, I think the reason a child says to a parent, "Look!" is because God has first said to the child, "Look!"  Because more often than not, what's drawing their attention is something He created.

The beauties of nature are for us.  But probably most of us don't slow down to look at bits of nature very often, just as we don't slow down to notice ~ or remember ~ what He has done for us in our lives.  How often do we just walking on, when God is saying, "Look!"  Consider the words of Psalm 78:

"Tell to the generation to come, the praises of the Lord; 
     His strength and the wonderful works that He has done...
          that the generation to come might know them, 
          that the children who would be born may arise 
               and declare them to their children,
     that they may set their hope in God, 
     and not forget the works of God.

Those who did not keep the covenant of God,
     they refused to walk in His law,
     and forgot His works
          and His wonders that He had shown them.

Marvelous things He did in the sight of their fathers...
     He divided the sea and caused them to pass through;
     He made the waters stand up like a heap.
     In the daytime He led them with the cloud,
          and all the night with a light of fire.
He split the rocks in the wilderness,
     and gave them drink in abundance...
     He also brought streams out of the rock,
          and caused waters to run down like rivers.

He had commanded the clouds above,
     and opened the doors of heaven,
     Had rained down manna on them to eat,
          And given them of the bread of heaven.
               Men ate angels' food;
               He sent them food to the full...
     So they ate and were well filled,
          for He gave them their own desire.

He made His own people go forth like sheep,
     and guided them in the wilderness like a flock;
     And He led them on safely, so that they did not fear...

Those were amazing, marvelous, miraculous things He did for the Hebrews, and it's right that we should be shocked that they could forget.  But what would the Israelites say to us?  Pray that He would remind you of what you have forgotten, and that you would not forget what you should remember.  And when He points something out to you, pause to look.

~ "This was the Lord's doing;

It is marvelous in our eyes." ~

Psalm 118:23