“God speaks to you and me through every situation, but hearing Him is dependent upon our anticipating and paying attention to His instruction.” Charles Stanley
Unbelief
Then they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe His promise. They grumbled in their tents and did not obey the Lord. So He swore to them with uplifted hand that He would make them fall in the desert.
Psalms 106:24-26
The crossing from Egypt, through the desert to the Promised Land, would have taken the people of Israel a couple of weeks or maybe a maximum of about a month because of the children and livestock travelling with them.
It took a great amount of courage for the Israelites to leave Egypt. Having lived in that foreign land for centuries, they considered their slavery to the Egyptians a normal part of their lives. When they moved out of that life of bondage, their hope was for a new life of freedom in the Promised Land. Unfortunately, their repeated inability to see beyond their present circumstances made them doubt and even despise the goodness of God’s promise. In addition to their unbelief, they also grumbled and disobeyed the Lord continuously, angering Him by preferring to stay in the desert rather than moving on to the appointed land.
Are we in a similar situation today? Walking out of Egypt is the first step for all of us but we need to continue to walk through the wilderness and reach our destination. Most of the time, the wilderness period is very short but we prolong it because of our unbelief and our murmuring.
We will not walk in the fullness of God’s Spirit until we have accomplished God’s will for us in the wilderness. Let us remember that the period in the wilderness is not long. If we truly believe and walk in the assurance of this hope, we will be able to rejoice in the fulfillment promise given to us.
Dear Lord,
I thank You for this day and the promises that You have given me. Please give me Your strength to walk through the wilderness with patience and endurance so that I may receive your promise. Amen.
God bless you,
Theo and Manju