How many times have we let our eyes gauge our situations? How many times have we allowed our human mind to reason through our trials? When we walked in the world without the knowledge of God, we often face challenges in our lives too overwhelming for us to handle. As a result, we’d worry and stress over the possible outcomes and how we would fair. We never knew what would happen from one moment to the next. Our lives would be overcome with fear, doubt, negative thoughts and the like. Then one day, God reveals Himself to us. We accept His invitation to be Lord over our life. Over time, He proves Himself to us, bringing us out of our trials, providing four our every need, performing miracles and more. Things seem to be going well in the early stages our our relationship, but how many of you know that as we grow and mature in God, He expects us to exercise our faith more? The trials increase. From our perspective, our life takes a turn for the worse. Here is where we should look back upon our past and remember all God has done. Here is where we should trust and believe. Her is where we should stand confidently and firmly in the midst of our storms, yet, for most, here is where life falls apart. We allow our human nature to take over our reasoning of our human hearts and minds. Trust and faith take a leap out the proverbial window. Struggles take hold. We forget all we experience, all we witnessed, and all we learned and reach back into our nature and react accordingly. Many of us give up long before the trials end, forgetting the truth of God’s promises and losing sight of the important fact of Who’s in control.
This is where our studies begin. In Numbers 14, the children of Israel are right in this exact spot. They had experienced miracle after miracle, received promise after promise, and lived with God like no other people, yet after all this, they still reverted back to unbelief and every situation arose. Though God had brought them out of bondage, saved them from death and destruction, and provided for their every need, they still weren’t satisfied. In Chapter 14, the people of Israel are responding to the news reports they had just received from the scouts. It is said, that the initial response of a person is usually the most accurate indication of that person’s heart.
All but the last two of the scouts returned with a negative report. As the people listened intent, they began to fear all that lay ahead. Instinctively and immediately, they respond with complaints and accusations of their leaders. Their reaction indicated that they had no memory of their freedom from Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the events of the Egyptian pursuit, the provisions of water, manna and meat or anything else God had done for them. Seeing their response and knowing God’s mind, Moses and Aaron fall on their faces on their behalf, interceding before God for their lives. While they are doing this, Caleb and Joshua stand to be recognized. They top participated in scouting this land, but their report differed drastically from that of the scouting party. They see the land through their eyes of faith and trust in God’s promises and past performances. They remind the people of that very thing, though their report was disregarded. Displeased, God’s wrath is about to be loosed upon this unbelieving race. Fortunately, Moses comes to the rescue. With humility and reverence, He intercedes before the Creator on behalf of the people, pointing out how God’s plan of destruction would be perceived to the surrounding nations who had already heard of His might. As a result, God spares the people, but rescinds His promise to those in unbelief. Only Joshua and Caleb would inherit the land.
What you see isn’t what you get! When we look through our human eyes we can only see failure, defeat, death, hopelessness and the like. Without the Spirit of faith, without the provision of God, we can only reap the fruit of despair and all it brings. What you see isn’t what you get when God is involved. With God, we are given spiritual eyes to see our situations in a different light. What was once impossible now becomes possible. Our spiritual eyes accept that we are nothing apart from God. The worst situations with no solutions, now become situations with possibles. What you see isn’t what you get!
Instead of complaining, begin praying. Humbling yourself, cast your problems upon the Lord, then look at the situation through your spiritual eyes as the result come about. Had the people looked at the land through their spiritual eyes, they would have seen a land without the obstacles. God would have done as before and opened up the door of opportunities and rained down blessings and provisions.
Tags: Aaron, blessings and provision, bondage, Caleb, Creator, death, destruction, Doubt, Egyptian, Faith, Fear, God's promises, God's truth, God's wrath, Human, humility and reverence, Israel, Joshua, Knowledge of God, Lord, manna, Miracles, Moses, negative thoughts, Numbers 14, Obstacles, Red Sea, Spirit of faith, stress, Struggles, trials, unbelief, Worry
