Reason #704
I know I always write about the Israelites. The thing is, I just relate to them really well. They drive me crazy, yet I see myself in them, in their actions, in their attitudes. We're too much alike, I think. And although their story happened thousands of years ago, it is amazing at how much it is like mine.
So these Israelites had been in slavery in Egypt forever, crying out to God to free them. God hears their prayers and answered by sending Moses their way. Of course, this probably isn't how they imagined it would go, but an answer is an answer. And so they set off on this journey that really shouldn't take that long. Of course, trying to corral a few million people is no easy, quick task, but God gets them to the wilderness in a normal amount of time. He parts the Red Sea, lets them pass through on dry land, drowns their enemies, and it looks like they're set. All they have to do is keep walking. The only thing asked of them at this point is to obediently follow the cloud that leads them during the day and the pillar of fire that leads them by night (which is actually God, himself) and head towards the Promised Land. At this point, how could they miss this up? What could possibly go wrong? Everyone was on the same page and eager to get out of Egypt and to this new place God had promised them, after all. And what's more is that you'd think these people who were just freed from slavery, who just witnessed God do one of the biggest, most mind blowing acts to save their lives, would be filled with nothing other than pure praise and gratitude. But it didn't take long for them to find something to complain about.
Not too far into their journey, they start complaining because things aren't quite going like they expected. After their incredible deliverance, I have to believe they probably had some lofty ideas of what the wilderness would be like, but it was exactly that, the wilderness. Nothing fancy or magical. Honestly, it was probably pretty monotonous. They were just walking day after day. Living life and moving forward. I have to believe this wasn't what they had in mind. I mean really, after all of the plagues, the fan fare leaving Egypt, and the excitement that they were finally being freed, I think they might have been hoping this was just the start of it. Maybe they were expecting every day to be some big, entertaining production. But it wasn't. It was the desert. It was hot, it was dry, and they were wandering.
Well, notice they come up with a quick way to fix the disappointment of their unmet expectations. "Let's just go back to where we came from. Let's go back to the way things were before." What? Whose idea was this? Did they not remember what life was like in Egypt? Did they not remember that God had just answered one of their biggest prayer requests by freeing them? And so now that they've had a little time to spend in the desert, they felt they'd just be happier if they went right back to where they came from. At least they had food and a home in Egypt, they said. But wasn't God feeding them every day as He was leading them to their permanent home? Oh, Israel. You're killing me.
I get frustrated with them. I want to shake them and say "Wake up! Look around you! This very thing God is doing in your life is INCREDIBLE!" Why can't they see that? Why don't they understand that this is an amazing journey they are on? Why don't the realize that God is a forward moving God, not a back-tracking God? Why don't they get how blessed they are?
Sound familiar? I find myself in my moments of frustration just wanting to go back. I don't want to move forward through the struggle into unchartered territory and lean on God to help me through it. I want to go back to what I know. I want to go back to what is familiar, even if familiar was miserable. Yet wasn't I the very one praying to get out of the miserably familiar place? Wasn't I the one asking God to do big, miraculous things? Wasn't I asking Him to move me and to free me? Wasn't I pleading for this blessing? But going back seems easier because at least we know what lies in our past, unlike our future.
Israel has no idea how good they have it, even if they are in the desert, and we usually don't, either. We forget that God rescues us from our past not so that we can go back there when we get tired and weary but so that we can keep pressing onward to the prize that lies ahead. Sure, there will be really tough, difficult, frustrating days. Their will be days when we let hindsight trick us into thinking life was better and easier back then. We'll have days on our journey that are monotonous, long, dry, and hot. But God doesn't work in the past, He works in the future. He moves us towards better things. And so it's up to us to praise Him for what He is doing now rather than complain about how hard it is. To thank Him for answering our prayers, even if it's not exactly how we expected it to go each day. To keep moving forward even if it is uncomfortable, difficult, or not very much fun. Because God's blessings are scattered throughout the entire journey, and if we end up going back, we'll miss out on all of the incredible things He has planned for our future.
#704 - Because God's blessings are scattered throughout the entire journey... beginning to end.
"Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours." - Psalm 128:1-2
So these Israelites had been in slavery in Egypt forever, crying out to God to free them. God hears their prayers and answered by sending Moses their way. Of course, this probably isn't how they imagined it would go, but an answer is an answer. And so they set off on this journey that really shouldn't take that long. Of course, trying to corral a few million people is no easy, quick task, but God gets them to the wilderness in a normal amount of time. He parts the Red Sea, lets them pass through on dry land, drowns their enemies, and it looks like they're set. All they have to do is keep walking. The only thing asked of them at this point is to obediently follow the cloud that leads them during the day and the pillar of fire that leads them by night (which is actually God, himself) and head towards the Promised Land. At this point, how could they miss this up? What could possibly go wrong? Everyone was on the same page and eager to get out of Egypt and to this new place God had promised them, after all. And what's more is that you'd think these people who were just freed from slavery, who just witnessed God do one of the biggest, most mind blowing acts to save their lives, would be filled with nothing other than pure praise and gratitude. But it didn't take long for them to find something to complain about.
Not too far into their journey, they start complaining because things aren't quite going like they expected. After their incredible deliverance, I have to believe they probably had some lofty ideas of what the wilderness would be like, but it was exactly that, the wilderness. Nothing fancy or magical. Honestly, it was probably pretty monotonous. They were just walking day after day. Living life and moving forward. I have to believe this wasn't what they had in mind. I mean really, after all of the plagues, the fan fare leaving Egypt, and the excitement that they were finally being freed, I think they might have been hoping this was just the start of it. Maybe they were expecting every day to be some big, entertaining production. But it wasn't. It was the desert. It was hot, it was dry, and they were wandering.
Well, notice they come up with a quick way to fix the disappointment of their unmet expectations. "Let's just go back to where we came from. Let's go back to the way things were before." What? Whose idea was this? Did they not remember what life was like in Egypt? Did they not remember that God had just answered one of their biggest prayer requests by freeing them? And so now that they've had a little time to spend in the desert, they felt they'd just be happier if they went right back to where they came from. At least they had food and a home in Egypt, they said. But wasn't God feeding them every day as He was leading them to their permanent home? Oh, Israel. You're killing me.
I get frustrated with them. I want to shake them and say "Wake up! Look around you! This very thing God is doing in your life is INCREDIBLE!" Why can't they see that? Why don't they understand that this is an amazing journey they are on? Why don't the realize that God is a forward moving God, not a back-tracking God? Why don't they get how blessed they are?
Sound familiar? I find myself in my moments of frustration just wanting to go back. I don't want to move forward through the struggle into unchartered territory and lean on God to help me through it. I want to go back to what I know. I want to go back to what is familiar, even if familiar was miserable. Yet wasn't I the very one praying to get out of the miserably familiar place? Wasn't I the one asking God to do big, miraculous things? Wasn't I asking Him to move me and to free me? Wasn't I pleading for this blessing? But going back seems easier because at least we know what lies in our past, unlike our future.
Israel has no idea how good they have it, even if they are in the desert, and we usually don't, either. We forget that God rescues us from our past not so that we can go back there when we get tired and weary but so that we can keep pressing onward to the prize that lies ahead. Sure, there will be really tough, difficult, frustrating days. Their will be days when we let hindsight trick us into thinking life was better and easier back then. We'll have days on our journey that are monotonous, long, dry, and hot. But God doesn't work in the past, He works in the future. He moves us towards better things. And so it's up to us to praise Him for what He is doing now rather than complain about how hard it is. To thank Him for answering our prayers, even if it's not exactly how we expected it to go each day. To keep moving forward even if it is uncomfortable, difficult, or not very much fun. Because God's blessings are scattered throughout the entire journey, and if we end up going back, we'll miss out on all of the incredible things He has planned for our future.
#704 - Because God's blessings are scattered throughout the entire journey... beginning to end.
"Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours." - Psalm 128:1-2