But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.—Deuteronomy 8:18a (NIV)

Leaning back in my chair, I sighed with contentment. It always encourages me when I cross items off my to-do list. But for days I had avoided addressing these particular items. They involved untangling complicated situations with the help of customer service representatives— via an online chat. Or in the rare instances when I speak with a live person, the call is often rerouted to a foreign country. The time lag caused by the international connection and the foreign accents of the representatives make communication challenging. These situations try my patience and tempt me to erupt with frustration. So I procrastinated for as long as I could. Then I braced myself for a long battle. 

But for some inexplicable reason, I resolved all of the items with a minimal amount of effort—and no frustration. As I basked in the success of the day, I suddenly remembered: it wasn’t for an inexplicable reason. God is always working in the details of my life. 

Ironically, it’s when life is easy that I find it difficult to see God’s hand at work. Success tempts me to push Him aside and think I don’t need Him. Or that I’ve accomplished everything on my own power. In the Old Testament, the Israelites faced this same challenge. 

After wandering in the wilderness for forty years, they were ready to take possession of the promised land. Before sending them off, God reminded them of how He had faithfully led them through the desert and miraculously provided food and water for them (Deuteronomy 8:15-16). The Israelites had been completely dependent on God for their every need. But now as they settled in the promised land, they would begin to use their talents and skills to provide for themselves. 

God promised they would eat and be satisfied. They would build fine houses, their herds would increase, and their silver and gold would multiply. But with these blessings would come a new temptation: to believe they no longer needed God (Deuteronomy 8:11-14). 

So God reminded them of this essential truth:

You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth. (Deuteronomy 8:17-18a NIV)

When things go well, we can easily fall into the same trap and believe we don’t need God. Especially when we can rely on our skills to provide for our needs. Like the Israelites, we need to remember that all of our abilities and talents come from God. Our successes reflect His grace and should push us to praise Him. We are never self-sufficient. But we are always God-dependent. 

Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for reminding us we are God-dependent, not self-sufficient. May we always appreciate and praise the One who gifts us with our abilities and talents. We pray in Your name, Amen.