04 February, 2017
“He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. 16 He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you. 17 You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." Deut 8:15-17
“He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. 16 He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you. 17 You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." Deut 8:15-17
Your history may be filled with pain and tears. Years you
questioned if God exists. Why do we go through tough situations? It is true we
do not always know what God is doing, sometimes he doesn’t tell us what he is
up to. Sometimes he does, but it doesn’t stop us from panicking. There is a
great lesson to be learned from the Israelite's journey across the wilderness.
The dangerous journey of the Israelites across the wilderness
had a purpose. After God’s miraculous salvation men, women and children had to
cross the red sea, walk through a wilderness filled with very poisonous snakes,
with no food, no shelter and no water. They had been rescued from the Egyptians
but not settled. They were going to be a nation with a unique Identity in a
land flowing with milk and honey. Their independence from Egypt was almost instantaneous
but their journey to nationhood took a process of marching across a rough
terrain.
The wilderness is an example of challenges and scarcity
while Canaan represents fulfilment of God’s promises and abundance. God leads
us through the wilderness so it can be evidently known, the void he fills in
our lives. The Israelites couldn’t buy anything with their gold and silver in the
wilderness, their precious jewels were completely useless to their survival. Perhaps, rich people sometimes feel that way.
However, God protected them from the snakes, gave Manna for their food, a cloud for
shelter against the heat and water for their thirst to teach them (and us) just
three lessons. First, our faith and trust in God is only as real as the
challenges we have weathered. Second, humility only becomes a virtue when we
see how helpless we are without God. Third, our hearts are exposed to see what
lodges in it when we face challenges.
Challenges create needs in our lives only God can fill. When
you are going through challenges a destination lies ahead. The road might be exhausting
but God is never weary. Finally, when you get to the land of your plenty,
remember the One who carried you through the wilderness, never forget none of what
you enjoy would be possible without Him.
“But
he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:13-14
One Week Reading Plan
TODAY Deuteronomy 8:15-18
SUNDAY 2 Corinthians 6:3-10
MONDAY Isaiah
43:1-5
TUESDAY 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
WEDNESDAY Psalm 126:1-6
THURSDAY Mark 10:24-27
FRIDAY Psalm 121:5-8
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