The Broken Cisterns We Choose Instead of God
It is easy to forget where our blessings come from. When life is going well, we can begin to believe that our success, possessions, abilities, and security are the result of our own strength. But Scripture repeatedly warns us against forgetting God when He has blessed us.
In Jeremiah 2, God confronts His people because they had forsaken Him, the fountain of living waters, and turned to broken cisterns that could hold no water. Deuteronomy 8 gives us another warning: when we have plenty, we must not say, “My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.”
This episode challenges us to examine what—or whom—we are trusting. Are we trusting God, or are we trusting what God has allowed us to have?
Jeremiah 2:13 describes one of humanity’s greatest spiritual failures: forsaking God, the fountain of living waters, while attempting to create our own sources of security.
The problem wasn’t merely that Israel had found something else they liked. They had abandoned the source of life itself.
Jeremiah 2:5-7 reminds us that God had brought His people into a fruitful land, yet they defiled the land and forgot the One who had given it to them.
Then Deuteronomy 8:11-20 gives us an incredibly relevant warning. God told Israel that when they became prosperous, they needed to guard their hearts against pride and remember where their blessings came from.
The danger wasn’t having wealth or possessions. The danger was forgetting God because of them.
Moses specifically warned that they might say, “My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.”
But the very next verse gives the proper perspective:
“Thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth.”
Everything we have ultimately traces back to God’s provision.
Our abilities come from Him. Our opportunities come from Him. Our strength comes from Him. Our possessions are ultimately His.
The question is not simply, “What do I have?”
The better question is, “Have the things I have caused me to forget the God who gave them to me?”
Application Questions
● Have I ever taken credit for something God has enabled me to accomplish?
● Do my possessions make me more dependent upon God or less dependent upon Him?
● Am I trusting God, or am I trusting my bank account, abilities, possessions, or circumstances?
● What are the “broken cisterns” I am tempted to turn to instead of God?
● How can I intentionally practice gratitude for God’s provision?
● If God removed some of the things I currently depend upon, would I still trust Him?
● Am I remembering the Lord when life is comfortable, or only when I am in trouble?
Short Prayer
Lord, help us never to forget that everything we have ultimately comes from You. Keep us from pride and self-reliance. Help us recognize the broken cisterns we run toward instead of trusting the fountain of living waters. Give us grateful hearts that acknowledge Your provision and humble hearts that depend upon You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Key Verse — KJV
Deuteronomy 8:18
“But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth.”
