READING: Numbers 14-16, Psalm 95
“Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?”
Numbers 14:3
It is so easy to get consumed by the circumstances of life and fail to see God in the midst of them. So many circumstances take on a life of their own when they begin to so overwhelm us that it’s tough to trust God without wavering. Think about it . . . health issues. . . wayward children. . . financial struggles. . . natural disasters. . . fighting congregations. . . God-disrespecting culture . . . and on and on. We look around, and it feels like the church is losing the battle to darkness. In our own lives, we at times wonder where God is when His answers to prayer are delayed or non-existent.
Circumstances. They get the best of us sometimes.
The Hebrews on the brink of the Promised Land faced and lost this same battle. Twelve spies entered the land, and the majority were convinced they could not take the land God had already promised them. Indeed, they went so far as to say, “Why is the Lord bringing us into this land to die by the sword? Our wives and children will become plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” (Num. 14:3). The giants in the land seemed too numerous and too large—and consequently in the eyes of the Hebrews, it was better to choose a new leader and head back to bondage in Egypt. God apparently seemed far too small to take them farther.
That’s what happens when we focus our attention on our circumstances: we allow them to dwarf the size of God. In the light of our worries and concerns, we reduce God to something far less than what He is. It’s no wonder, then, that we struggle believing during these difficult times.
ACTION STEPS:
- Don’t let your circumstances overwhelm you today.
- Don’t miss how much the Hebrews lost because they didn’t follow God in faith. Keep focused on Him, and be obedient.
PRAYER: “Father, help me to see You more than anything else today.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Numbers 17-20
