I Don’t Know How Good I’ve Got It
“Even an ox knows its owner, and a donkey recognizes its master’s care – but Israel doesn’t know its master. My people don’t recognize my care for them” – Isaiah 1:3 (NLT)
I did not get up this morning intending to write. All I really wanted to do was check my e-mail and a few sports scores, and then settle down and read some nice, comfortable, soothing, spiritually uplifting and self-esteeming Scripture. Why I chose Isaiah is beyond my understanding.
As you can tell, I didn’t make it past verse three. At first, I wanted to ridicule and scoff at Israel for not knowing their God and forgetting everything He has done for them. The Lord rescued them from their Egyptian masters, gave them a land overflowing with abundance, established a lifestyle of worship and peaceful existence with their God and continually protected them from their enemies. In response to God’s marvelous care for them, the Israelites show a tremendous lack of gratitude and turn their backs upon Him (Isaiah 1:4).
After I finished thinking bad thoughts about a group of people who died 2,700 hundred years ago, I started to consider the many ways this verse speaks of my life. In how many ways do I not recognize God’s care for me? It didn’t take long to compile a list.