Before you answer, let’s look at some of the definitions from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
to lose strength: weaken <her health was failing>
to fade or die away <until our family line fails>
to stop functioning normally <the patient’s heart failed>
to fall short <failed in his duty>
to be unsuccessful <the marriage failed>
to become bankrupt or insolvent
I’m going with the answer, “yes,” God wants us to fail. Based on the definitions above, here’s why:
God wants us to lose strength and understand we’re weak, so that we’ll also learn we “…can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13) If we insist on trying to follow Jesus in our own strength, God will let us fail. He’s not in the business of blessing our plans, but He will give us strength to do whatever He calls us to do.
God wants us, our natural selves, to die. He said, “And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:27) Life is not about achieving our goals, accumulating wealth and having a good time. It’s about pursuing God’s goals, storing up treasure in heaven and experiencing the love, joy and peace of God.
God wants us to stop functioning normally, so we can start functioning supernaturally. Paul wrote to the church in Rome:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2)
Do you want to know God’s good, perfect and pleasing will for your life? It’s the result of offering yourself to Him and no longer “functioning normally” as the world does. We must choose to no longer conform to the pattern of this world, but to instead be transformed by the renewing of our minds. In other words, we must learn to think like God. That comes from having our minds saturated with His word.
God wants us to understand we’ve already fallen short of his holy standard. We chose to live life on our terms, not His. We went our own way. We rebelled against the sovereign King of the universe. Paul said, “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Our only recourse is to accept the forgiveness that Christ offers.
God wants us to be unsuccessful whenever we choose to pursue our own plans. It’s always good to remember that it’s not about you. It’s not about me. My goals and plans and dreams aren’t relevant…unless they’re ones God has given me. Only then does He want me to be successful. Even that is conditional though–God wants me to be successful in achieving His goals in His strength and in His ways. Not my goals. Not my strength. Not my ways.
God wants me to know I’m spiritually bankrupt. Jesus said, “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.” (Matthew 5:3 NLT) The poor Jesus is referring to are the ones who realize their need for Him, not simply those who lack financial resources. We are bankrupt. We’re broke. We’re totally dependent on God for everything.
Are you experiencing a season of failure? Things just aren’t working out? Can’t catch a break?
Maybe God is allowing you to fail. Not to punish you or humiliate you, but to teach you and to bless you. He knows true life is found only in Him. Not in money. Not in a career. Not in sex. Not in a relationship.
In Him alone.
So why would He grant success in the pursuits that only move us away from finding our life in Him?
Failure isn’t permanent or terminal. Failure is a stepping stone to greater intimacy with God and greater fruitfulness in His kingdom.
The writer of Hebrews said, “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons.” (Hebrews 12:7)
Your current failure or hardship is God treating you as His child, a child He loves deeply and for whom He only desires the very best. Seek Him. Get to know Him better. Trust Him.
Ultimately, He wants you to be successful in everything He calls you to do. And He will always provide the strength and wisdom you need to accomplish His will.
I just finished reading through the Old Testament books of Judges and Ruth. They both take place during the same time period in Israel’s history.
In Judges, we get a look at all of the various people who led Israel during the time from about 1382 to 1043 BC, including Deborah, Gideon and Samson. These were dark times in Israel’s history as they continually turned their backs on God and experienced His rebuke.
In Ruth, we’re introduced to one family and all of the pain, confusion and hardship they endured. It’s a powerful story with a great twist at the end. Be sure to read it–it’s only four chapters.
What strikes me as I read about the lives of these men and women is that their stories are always being played out in the context of a much bigger story. And that’s true with you and me also.
There’s God’s story and there’s our story, which is also part of God’s story. Your story and my story are sub-plots. We’re not the main story. God is.
In Ruth’s case, she lived in the country of Moab–just east of Israel. Because of a famine in Bethlehem, a man named Elimelech left there and went to live in Moab with his wife Naomi and their two sons. Eventually, Elimelech dies and the two sons marry Moabite women. Ruth is one of these two women.
About ten years after leaving Bethlehem, both of the sons die also. That’s when Naomi gets word that the famine in Bethlehem has ended, so she decides to go home. Ruth insists on going with her so these two widows set out for Bethlehem.
In a period of ten years, Naomi has gone from living in the Promised Land, being married and being the mother of two sons to living in a foreign country, losing a husband, losing both sons and now returning home unhappy, unfulfilled and feeling bitter about life.
How do we know she feels this way? When she arrives in Bethlehem, she tells people not to call her Naomi, but to call her Mara, which means “bitter.”
It would be hard to blame her, right? It’s been a pretty rough ten years. There had to be many times on that road back to Bethlehem that she thought, “Where’s God when you need Him?”
Have you ever felt that way?
I have. Lots of times. I’ve been angry, confused and bitter. I’ve wondered where God was and why He wasn’t helping. You might feel that way today.
Your marriage is in trouble.
Your child won’t listen to you.
You just lost your job or your house or both.
You desperately want a child, but can’t get pregnant and it doesn’t help that the unmarried teenage girl can.
The diagnosis came back. It’s not good and not what you expected.
So where’s God when we need Him?
Let’s step back into the lives of Naomi and Ruth again and see what we learn…
Once back in Bethlehem, Ruth meets a close relative of Naomi’s deceased husband. This man, named Boaz, has the right to purchase the property owned by Naomi’s husband and sons, which he does. And part of the deal is that Ruth becomes his wife.
God is working out His bigger story, but He’s also caring for Naomi and Ruth.
Eventually, Boaz and Ruth have a son, named Obed. When he is grown, Obed and his wife give birth to a son, named Jesse. Years later, Jesse becomes the father of David. King David.
And about a thousand years later, Jesus, the Savior of the world, is born in the line of King David.
Naomi couldn’t have known that was going to happen. Neither did Ruth. God knew though. He was always working in history to bring about His bigger story, His master plan to save the world.
Do you know how your present difficulties may be used by God one day? No, but He does. He sees your pain and suffering and none of it will be wasted. As you trust Him and persevere, He is conforming you to His image and using your circumstances to advance His kingdom.
No, you can’t see it, but He can. Just keep believing Him.
He’s not just the God of the big story, He’s the God of your story. He has a good plan for you. His love for you will never fail. When you seek Him, you will find Him.
Naomi felt bitter because she thought God was against her. I get that. I’ve felt that way. It’s just not true though. God is never against us. He’s always for us. We just need to remember there’s always a bigger story being played out. And we have a part in it. Our current, painful, confusing circumstances are part of God’s bigger story.
We don’t have to become bitter. That happens when we focus only on what we see and feel. Genuine joy and peace are ours when we choose to keep our eyes on God and trust that He is good and that He is working things out for our good and His ultimate glory.
Where is God when we need Him?
He’s here with us. He can be trusted, even when all hell is breaking loose. He is not the cause of your pain or difficulties, but He can use them to accomplish His purposes in your life and in the bigger story.
Our part is to walk faithfully with Him and not give up. Naomi and Ruth could have given up. On life and on God. But they didn’t.
In the closing scene of Ruth, we see Naomi holding Obed in her lap, caring for him. There’s no way she could have known she was holding the grandfather of King David.
God has a good plan for you. Keep trusting Him. Keep seeking Him. Keep obeying Him. You cannot possibly imagine all the good He’s going to do for you and through you, if only you will keep walking with Him.
Have you ever read the Old Testament and wondered how God could just wipe people out? I mean there’s the the flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, Jericho and all the nations in the land of Canaan.
It just seems like lots of innocent people are suddenly killed as a result of God’s orders. Where’s the God of love and patience? Where’s the grace and mercy?
Let’s take a look, beginning with the fact that there are a couple of wrong assumptions in what I’ve just said. First, no one is innocent. Paul wrote to the church in Rome:
“There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
From the youngest child to the oldest adult–no one is innocent. Not. Even. One. “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”
Second, God doesn’t “suddenly” wipe people out. He is always patient. In the case of the Amorites who occupied the land of Canaan, God waited hundreds of years before judging them. They had centuries to turn from their evil ways, which by the way, included sacrificing their own children. Not so innocent, huh?
In 2 Kings 17, Israel is attacked and taken into captivity by the Assyrian empire. God makes clear to Israel why this happened. Because they had sinned against Him by worshiping other gods, something He had repeatedly warned them not to do.
The Lord warned Israel and Judah through all His prophets and seers: “Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees…” 2 Kings 17:13
They rejected His decrees and the covenant He had made with their fathers and the warnings He had given them. 2 Kings 17:15
The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn from them until the Lord removed them from His presence, as He had warned through all His servants the prophets.” 2 Kings 17:23
Has God been warning you? Is there an area of your life He has put His finger on?
Is it a relationship? One you need to end? One you need to restore? One you need to persevere in?
Is it your finances? Has God been telling you to give? Or stop using credit cards? Is there a debt you need to repay?
Is it your health? Do you need to eat better? Begin exercising? Rest more? Work less?
Is it a sinful habit? A habit that’s now become an addiction.
I find that God will warn me in multiple ways. It could be through His word. Or a phone call from a friend. Maybe through a sermon or podcast. Or it could be difficult circumstances or a medical condition that will only get worse if ignored.
Now I’m not suggesting He’s going to wipe you out if you continue to ignore Him. Based on my own sin and stubbornness, I can tell you He’s very, very patient and full of grace and mercy.
At the heart of our sin is unbelief. We persist in going our own way and ignore God’s warnings, because we simply do not believe Him. We assume we know what is best for us. We think our plans for our lives are better than His.
We’re wrong though. We’re arrogant too. How foolish of us to ever think we know better than God.
The only answer is to take His warnings to heart, turn from our own way and follow Him.
No matter what He’s warning you about, no matter what He’s telling you to do–it is always in your best interest to obey Him.
Yesterday, my son snapped this picture of a bee that was desperately holding on to our windshield as we were driving to lunch.
You could see that as our speed increased, the little bee was straining to hold on. The bee must have thought it was trying to survive a very windy day.
If the bee would have only known that to experience calm, it only needed to let go. It was only experiencing a turbulent day because it was holding on to the wrong thing.
What wrong thing are you holding onto today?
Have you placed your security in money?
Does your happiness depend on another person?
Are you only at peace if all your circumstances are good?
Do you only feel good about yourself if you think you’re pleasing everyone around you?
Do you look to your job or your children to make you feel significant?
Galatians 5:22-23 says:
“…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
If we hold on to anything or anyone other than God Himself, our lives will feel out of control, turbulent, confusing and chaotic. But that’s not God’s intention for us.
When we surrender everything we have, everything we are and everything we desire to Him–we experience the fruit of His Spirit. We don’t produce the fruit–He produces it as a result of living surrendered lives and walking in obedience. And He even gives us the power to obey Him if only we will trust Him.
In the mid-90′s, I was in a job I didn’t like and was looking for a change. A couple years later, I was without a job and looking for a change. Ten years later, I was again in a job that was no longer a fit and was looking for a change.
Last week, I visited a friend in the hospital who’d recently undergone major surgery to remove several tumors. A week after the surgery, he was fighting off a serious infection. He just wanted to start feeling better. He was looking for a change.
I’ve talked to numerous men and women who are unhappy in their marriages. They are looking for a change.
When our circumstances are difficult or unpleasant or just less than desirable–we’re all looking for a change. We want to move on. We want something better. We want God to do something. Sooner than later.
I’m sure the nation of Israel felt the same way.
They’d been slaves in Egypt for 400 years and when change finally came, it was short-lived. Because of their rebellion and unbelief, God made them wander in the desert for 40 years until all those over the age of 20 died off.
Once that generation had died, God led Israel to the east side of the Jordan River in preparation for crossing into the land of Canaan–the land He’d sworn to give to Abraham hundreds of years earlier.
Can you imagine the anticipation?
It would be like a few days before your wedding, Christmas and the best vacation ever all rolled into one. All you’ve ever known is slavery and living in a desert and now, you’re about to move into the land that God is giving you for your very own. They will live in cities they didn’t build. They’ll harvest vineyards they didn’t plant. They’ll be out of the dry, dusty desert and enjoying a land with streams and pools of water.
Everything is about to change for the better.
But is Israel ready?
Moses described them as a rebellious and stiff-necked people. They were prone to grumbling, complaining and wandering. They had short memories–often forgetting what God had done for them.
Are they ready for what God is doing for them? Will they be fully able to enjoy this good land He’s giving them? Have they learned anything from their past?
Still valid questions today.
Are you ready? Are you ready for whatever change God may want to bring into your life?
Are you ready for a new relationship? Are you ready for your marriage to become all God intended? Are you ready for the new job? The new city to live in? The new addition to your family? The increase in pay? New opportunities and responsibilities?
I don’t mean are you tired of your current circumstances. That’s a given. I’m talking about actually being ready to receive or enjoy or capitalize on whatever God is about to do.
When Israel came out of Egypt, God led them to Mt. Sinai where they received the 10 commandments. They would camp there for some time as God revealed many other commands. And before they were ready to cross the Jordan, Moses reviewed God’s commands and explained how to live them out in the new land they would possess.
There are a couple significant passages from what Moses taught that may help us answer the question: Are you ready for a change?
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. (Deuteronomy 6:4-10)
Love God. Have His commandments on your heart. Impress them upon your children. Talk about them.
Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love God. He also said we demonstrated love by obeying Him.
Moses also said:
Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the LORD promised on oath to your forefathers. Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you. (Deuteronomy 8:1-5)
During the 40 years in the desert, God was humbling the Israelites and teaching them that they didn’t just live on bread, but on every word of His. They were to love and cherish and depend on His words. Regardless of how you got to where you are today–God desires to teach you that you cannot live apart from knowing and believing His word.
Are you ready for a change?
We can answer that question with a few other questions…
Are you growing in your love for God? Is your desire to obey Him and walk in His ways increasing?
Do you find yourself talking more about God’s word with others? Are you sharing what you’re learning?
Are you realizing that His word is life to you and that it can be trusted even when your feelings and circumstances aren’t making sense?
Are you only seeking relief from your circumstances or are you seeking God? (If you’re only seeking relief, then it will be easy to forget God once “you eat and are satisfied.”)
A new land, a change of scenery, a better life, relief from present pain and difficulties in the desert–they may be right around the corner.
Most of us don’t have any problem believing God knows the plans He has for us. Of course He knows the plans. He is, after all, God.
The problem for many of us is that WE don’t know the plans. God knows the plans, but we want to know them…and God doesn’t always seem to be telling.
Now if everything was going well in our lives, I suspect that a lot of us, myself included, wouldn’t care quite as much about knowing God’s plans for us. We’d just assume we were already experiencing His plans. Pleasant circumstances have a way of dulling our sensitivity to God.
But when things aren’t going so well, when circumstances aren’t what we desired, hoped for or prayed for–well, then we’re much more interested in knowing God’s plans.
Sometimes, I think we wrongly assume our current circumstances, because they’re painful or difficult, couldn’t possibly be what God had planned for us. But that’s not always the case.
In Jeremiah 29, the chapter the “I know the plans I have for you” verse comes from, we see that many Jews are in exile in Babylon for a period of 70 years. That’s a long time to be in exile, to be away from the land you long to return to. There may have been people who were born during the exile and died during the exile. Exile was all they ever knew.
Hundreds of years earlier, the nation of Israel was in bondage in Egypt for 400 years. I’m sure most of them remembered the promise God had made to their ancestor, Abraham–that God was going to give them the land of Canaan as their possession. And yet, many Jews were born in Egypt, lived their lives as slaves in Egypt, and died Egypt.
Hebrews 11 is a chapter that highlights the great faith displayed by Abraham, Moses, Noah, Rahab, David and others. This is also the chapter that says:
“All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.”
To be honest, I really don’t like that verse all that much. They did not receive the things promised? Only saw them and welcomed them from a distance? Huh? I want God’s good plans for me. I’m not into the “did not receive” part. That sounds…hard. Painful. Disappointing.
And yet, a life of believing God is lived by keeping our eyes on God, not our circumstances. Paul said he had learned to be content in all circumstances. Whether he had plenty or he lacked–he was okay with it. Why? Because regardless of his circumstances–he had Christ.
I’m not suggesting we don’t desire or pray for improved circumstances. For those of us with medical issues–we want healing. If we have financial problems–we want God to provide a way through or a way out. If it’s a failing marriage or a rebellious child or some other relationship problem–we want God to fix it.
Jeremiah 29:10-14 says:
This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity.I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”
God’s plan was to bring the Jews back after 70 years in Babylon. His plans were to prosper, not harm them. His plans were to give them a hope and a future. They would call upon Him and He would listen. They would seek Him and find Him.
It wasn’t going to happen immediately though. There was a period of waiting. Surely, some of them died before returning. They saw God’s promise from a distance.
I know we long for God to change things. I do. But what if we were to long for God more?
Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
To delight in God means to find pleasure and enjoyment in Him. What if we made that our highest aim, instead of relief from our difficulties?
Ultimately, God’s best plan for us is simply…Himself.
Could it be that we experience God’s plans when we experience Him in the midst of whatever we’re facing?
Very interesting, huh? What you were seeing didn’t match up with what you were hearing, so your brain told you you were hearing a different sound. The truth was that the sound never changed. Only your perception of it did.
I think the same thing happens with our circumstances.
We “hear” God say in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”
Or Hebrews 13:5, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Then in Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
And yet everyday we encounter circumstances that seem impossible for us to handle or overcome. A medical diagnosis. A larger than expected tax bill. Unfair treatment from a supervisor. A rebellious child. A never-ending mountain of laundry, a sink full of dishes and an infant that won’t sleep.
We “hear” God say everything will be okay and we even believe Him for a moment or two, but then we “see” our circumstances again and we become fearful, worried, anxious or discouraged.
Is there any hope for us? Is it really possible to rise above the up and down feelings of this life? Is there any way to truly experience the joy and peace of God regardless of what we see?
The answer is “yes.” The key is to see with the right eyes.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 says:
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
A few verses later, in 2 Corinthians 5:6-7, Paul says:
Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight.
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.
We live by faith, not by sight.
Abraham was an old man when God told him to leave his home and go to the land God would show him. Abraham had no children when God said, “I will make you into a great nation…”
David was a teenager with no military experience when he faced down Goliath, the Philistine’s most feared soldier.
Noah built a boat. On dry ground.
Moses led Israel out of Egypt and through the desert for 40 years.
Despite a overwhelming odds and a ferocious propaganda campaign, Nehemiah led the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem in just 52 days.
A woman who’d been bleeding for 12 years new if she could just touch the cloak Jesus was wearing she’d be healed. She did. And she was.
A Roman soldier requested that Jesus heal his servant. The father of a dying 12-year-old girls asked Jesus to heal her. The servant was healed. The girl, who died before Jesus arrived, was brought back to life.
We fix our eyes on what is unseen. We live by faith.
God gave us His word, the Bible, to reveal Himself, His purposes and His ways to us. As we read it, we get to know Him better. We see what He’s up to in our lives and in the world. We see how He works. And our faith grows stronger.
The more we read it, the more we understand and trust Him. We are better able to fix our eyes in what is unseen. We find that we are more equipped to live by faith, not by what we see.
None of the people I mentioned above were perfect. Abraham passed his wife off as his sister so he wouldn’t be killed. Twice. David committed adultery and murder. Moses disobeyed God and wasn’t even allowed to enter the Promised Land.
No, they weren’t perfect, but they didn’t give up. They kept going despite their sins and circumstances. They chose to fix their eyes on the unseen. They walked by faith, by believing that what God said was true even though what they saw didn’t line up.
I started feeling sick a week ago. I thought it was just a cold, so I loaded up on cold medicine. All week. Yesterday, I started on an antibiotic for a sinus infection.
It hasn’t been a great month so far. Of course, compared to others, my month has been wonderful. In Numbers 20, in the first month of the year, the Israelite community has been wandering in the desert for 40 years. They arrive at the Desert of Zin and camped at a place called Kadesh.
It’s there that Miriam, Moses’ sister dies.
In the very next verse, we learn that the whole community gathers in opposition to Moses and Aaron. They’re not happy about the desert, the lack of food and the lack of water. After 40 years, they’ve had enough.
So your sister dies and then the people you’ve been leading for 40 years decide now is a good time to rebel against your leadership.
Moses and Aaron retreat to the Tent of Meeting and fall facedown. The Tent of Meeting is the place where God shows up to speak, which He does. He tells Moses to take his staff and “speak to that rock” which will then pour out water.
Moses does what God commands. Well, almost.
Rather than speaking to the rock, Moses hits it with his staff. Twice. The good news is that even though Moses hits the rock rather than speaking to it–water still pours out. The bad news is really bad though. Because Moses hit the rock rather than speak to it–God tells him that he and Aaron will not be allowed to enter the Promised Land.
In verse 12, it says:
But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”
After 40 years of leading this ungrateful mob through the desert, Moses and Aaron learn they won’t be crossing the Jordan River because they didn’t do exactly what God commanded.
Does God’s response seem out of proportion? Honestly, it does to me. But I’m not seeing the situation from God’s perspective. And that’s the only one that matters.
It’s time to break camp and move on, so Moses sends messengers to the king of Edom. Moses asks for permission to pass through his country. He tells the king they’ll stay on the road and not pass through and fields or vineyards or drink any of the water.
The king says “no.”
Moses tries again and tells the king he’ll pay for any water they drink as they pass through.
Again, the king says “no,” but this time sends out a large, powerful army to back up what he said.
So Moses leads Israel away from Edom and they head toward Mount Hor. That’s when God speaks again:
At Mount Hor, near the border of Edom, the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Aaron will be gathered to his people. He will not enter the land I give the Israelites, because both of you rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah. Get Aaron and his son Eleazar and take them up Mount Hor. Remove Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar, for Aaron will be gathered to his people; he will die there.”
Moses did what God commanded. The three of them go up to the mountain top. Aaron dies. Then Moses and Eleazer come down. When the community learns that Aaron had died, they mourn for 30 days.
And so ends Numbers chapter 20. It begins with the death of Miriam. Along the way, Moses learns he won’t be making the trip into the Promised Land. A large, powerful army faces him down. And then Aaron, his right hand man, dies.
Moses and Aaron, the two men responsible for leading the nation of Israel for 40 years, are guilty of committing a serious offense against God: they did not trust Him and rebelled against His command.
Hitting a rock rather than speaking to it may not seem like such a big deal to us, but it is to God. His commands aren’t suggestions. They are meant to be obeyed.
It doesn’t mean there isn’t grace and forgiveness. There is. But I wonder how often we miss out on opportunities and blessings because we choose to do things our own way rather than God’s.
Is there something God has told you to do? In a certain way?
Several days ago, my son had a very bad sore throat. It was hard for him to swallow. He had a fever of 101. You could tell just by looking at him that he was sick.
We gave him ibuprofen to help relieve the pain, but knew we weren’t curing him of anything. He needed medicine to deal with the infection. Our family doctor prescribed an antibiotic and within several hours of taking the first dose, my son was already beginning to feel better.
That was four days ago. Today, he feels 100% better, but knows he needs to finish out the course of the antibiotic to be completely well. The symptoms may be gone, but it doesn’t mean the bacteria that caused the infection are all gone yet.
The first migraine I ever remember was during my sophomore year of high school. I was almost 16-years-old. The Green-White intra-squad football scrimmage was coming up and I was very worried. I was afraid I would have to play against the seniors who were much bigger, stronger and faster. My anxiety led to the migraine.
If I had only known the truth, I could have avoided the severe pain that a migraine causes. The scrimmage wasn’t a big deal after all. Mostly I played against other sophomores. There never was anything to worry about.
I wish I could say I’ve never experienced another migraine, but I have. Just about any time I allow myself to become overly worried, I get a migraine.
Fortunately, I have a prescription that I can take when I feel one coming on. It knocks it out in about 45 minutes. What I really need to do though is get my worry and anxiety under control.
I could take another pill to do that, but I would still only be treating symptoms. Would that be wrong? No, I believe it could be helpful to sometimes take medication that would help control worry or anxiety or depression, especially when a chemical imbalance is involved. But along with the medication, there’s some more work to be done. Some more digging. Digging to get us to the root.
There’s something deeper than worry and anxiety just as there is something deeper than a sore throat. We’re still only dealing with symptoms. The goal is to attack the root of the problem.
So what was at the root of my migraine leading up to the football scrimmage?
The root problem was a wrong belief. I believed I would have to play against much bigger players, which might lead to me getting injured or at least playing poorly and being embarrassed. My wrong belief caused me to worry and feel anxious. My body’s reaction to the stress was a migraine.
Maybe you don’t get migraines, but you probably can relate because you have other symptoms. Fatigue? Stomach pain? Neck or back pain? Hives? If not those, then probably something else.
Do you feel angry or depressed?
Are you worried? Anxious? Afraid?
Are you ashamed? Lonely? Guilty?
Maybe you’re bored or confused or disappointed.
What is it?
And how are you dealing with what you’re feeling? There’s a healthy way to deal with your symptoms, but there are also many destructive behaviors.
Destructive behaviors include denying you have a problem, substance abuse, blaming others, isolating yourself from others and rebelling against authority. There are others, but that covers a lot of what we do.
Engaging in those destructive behaviors don’t really even deal with the symptoms we’re experiencing. In fact, they make them even worse. That’s why they’re called destructive behaviors!
The real solution is to believe the truth. And ultimately, that requires that we know what God says about our situation, about ourselves and most importantly–what He says about Himself.
John 8:31-32 says:
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
If you believe (trust) Jesus and will live according to His teaching, then you are a disciple of His, a learner of His, a follower of His. Then you will know the truth and it will set you free. You will be free from the bondage of fear or worry or any other negative emotion…and the potentially destructive behaviors we engage in to deal with them.
The truth sets us free, but it can’t set us free if we don’t know what it is.
If we don’t choose to spend generous amounts of time in His word, then we will fall victim to the lies the world tells us. We will believe something. If it’s not the truth, then it will be a lie.
The truth leads to freedom.
The lie leads to bondage.
Which are you experiencing today?
Actually, I can tell you.
If you spend hours everyday watching television and movies, cruising around on Facebook, listening to secular music and listening to the opinions of friends who are also spending hours everyday in the same activities, but hardly any time in God’s word, then I’ll bet you’re in bondage. To something.
You may be involved in some of the destructive behaviors I mentioned earlier. You’re probably experiencing one or more physical symptoms. And I’m sure you’re dealing with negative emotions.
How could you not be?
Again, the only real solution is to get to the root of the problem–your wrong beliefs–and then replace them with the truth of God’s word.
By the way, I’m not suggesting it’s wrong to watch television or spend time on Facebook (I enjoy both)…unless it consumes so much of your time that you’re not consuming the truth.
Do you ever feel like God isn’t seeing things correctly? Like you have to explain things to Him?
It’s two weeks before Christmas. Money is tight. Then an unexpected bill arrives in the mail or the car breaks down. You can see this wasn’t a good time, that there isn’t enough in the checking account. So why can’t God see that?
Your dad is a good man who serves others and loves the Lord, but he’s diagnosed with cancer. He’s got three months. Maybe six with chemo. And yet a lot of bad, selfish people live a lot longer than him. Do we have to explain everything to God? Doesn’t He see that’s not right?
You’re believing God for a baby. You’ve been trying for several years to get pregnant. Then you hear about the 16-year-old down the street who just had an abortion. Um, God? Are you seeing this?
You’ve identified a problem at work. The solution is clear. To everyone. But your boss vetoes the idea. Or maybe he implements it, takes credit and gets promoted. Now God, were You not in any of the meetings when I presented my plan? Everyone else knew it was my idea. How did You not know?
“Why, O LORD, do You stand far off? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1)
“How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?” (Psalm 13:1)
“You are God my stronghold. Why have You rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?” (Psalm 43:2)
You and I aren’t the only ones with questions, are we?
No, the Bible is full of real people, with real problems and real questions. People just like us.
Fortunately, the Bible also has real answers. Not always easy or simple ones. Not always ones we’ll even like. But real answers from a real God.
And that’s where it all must begin. And end, really. With God. The one true, real God. The one who has no beginning. The one who spoke everything into existence from nothing. The one who has always desired friendship with us. The one who says:
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10)
“From eternity to eternity, I am God. No one can oppose what I do.” (Isaiah 43:13, The Living Bible)
I know there’s something in your life today that doesn’t make sense. Your finances. A relationship. Your health. An unfulfilled longing. And it feels like God just doesn’t get it.
I’m right there with you.
If you’re like me, you’ve tried analyzing your situation until you’ve seen it from every possible angle. You’ve mentally rehearsed the conversation and presented the undeniable facts. You’ve laid out all the evidence for God so He can see what you so clearly see. And you’ve probably lost sleep over it. But nothing changes. And so you’re left to wonder why in the world God won’t do something.
Maybe after we’ve tried all that, all the stuff that never works and only makes us feel worse, maybe it’s time to try something else…
Be still.
Stop explaining. Stop complaining. Stop analyzing. And stop strategizing.
And just be still.
Give your mind a rest. Let your heart experience His calm.
Know that He is God.
He sees you. He does. He understands your situation.
And He wants you to know Him, so you can trust Him. So you can start to see things more like He sees them.
He will be exalted. Not you. Not me.
This is His world. He made it for Himself. “All things were created by Him and for Him.” (Colossians 1:16)
From eternity to eternity, He is God. No one and no thing can oppose Him.
You and I have a choice. We can be frustrated, even angry with God for not seeing things our way or we can be still long enough to know, to really know that He is God, He is good and He can be trusted.
Maybe we need to simply remember this: if God isn’t worked up over my circumstances, then maybe I shouldn’t be either.
Gregg Stutts - Executive Pastor of The Church at Arkansas in Fayetteville. Husband to Robyn and father to Rachel, Erica, Amy and Rob. On a continuing journey of believing God.
Gregg Stutts - Executive Pastor of The Church at Arkansas in Fayetteville. Husband to Robyn and father to Rachel, Erica, Amy and Rob. On a continuing journey of believing God.
