Daily Devotion, September 16, 2020

 

Devotion: Read Numbers 14:1-10.

Our history as humans includes many times when we desired to go back to the way things used to be, rather than going to the new places and ways to which God is leading us. Moses and the Israelites who are all being led by God into the Promised Land are a great example of this truth. When the Israelites heard the discouraging report of the ten out of twelve who had been sent to survey the new land and its people, the scriptures said that they grumbled against Moses and Aaron. They concluded their remarks with, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.” 

In case we are imagining that this is a small group of people grumbling, we get a better perspective on this from Numbers 1: 45-46. “All the Israelites twenty years old or more who were able to serve in Israel’s army were counted according to their families. The total number was 603,550.” This would have been an overwhelming number of people grumbling!

They were saying that returning to Egyptian enslavement would be better than forging ahead to trust God to bring them into the Promised Land. They were stuck in the past, afraid of change and lacked trust in God’s vision for their future.

Thankfully, Joshua and Caleb assured them that the land they had explored was good and “If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us….do not rebel...and do not be afraid.”

Often we as individuals and as people get stuck living in the past, idealizing it and wishing we could just return to the “good ole days.” We too are afraid of change. But we can trust God who is at work to bring us to new days and a new future. We must remain faithful and trust God to lead us each step of the way. Personal Worship Option: Loving God, your vision is beyond ours. Forgive us when we long for and live in the past. Help us to cope with the changes which life brings. Help us to trust You more as You lead us into your vision for our future. Thank you for your transforming work of love in our lives. Amen.