​9.Faith Formation: Counting on the Lord through Everything

            Surprisingly, perhaps, the Egyptian plagues are not as significant in the rest of the Bible. And we have Revelation 16, which uses similar images as Exodus. Read that chapter, and you see how the Egyptian plagues are used among the many visions of the End times.
We also have Psalm 78:41-55 and Psalm 105:26-38, which similarly call attention to God’s wonders in liberating the Israelites, as well as their tendency to forget the Lord’s blessings.
            We forget, too! As a person with high-functioning depression, I sometimes react to situations with worry and downheartedness. But at the same time, I do remember that God has brought me and my family and friends through many difficult situations. I never criticize the ancient Israelites for their distress. Their circumstances were so much more dire than mine: the need for water, food, and shelter for several thousand people in an inhospitable region.
            As we grow in grace, we call on God, and calling on God becomes a habit (as Oswald Chambers noted above). We learn to crises of illness and social injustice with “the mind of God.” We still struggle for faith but we’re more likely to turn to God automatically.
 
Question
1.Make a list of all the ways that God stood by you “through thick and thin.” Consider writing a psalm/poem about it. (Your poem doesn’t have to be excellent poetry, unless you want it to be; this is just for yourself.)