I want to be like Moses. It’s not that I want to walk around with a big stick and a glowing face, calling down plagues and parting large bodies of water. It’s not even that I want to be some big-time leader over a large group of people.
In Numbers chapter 12, Moses demonstrates three qualities that I need more of…
I hate to admit it, but I’ve become a complainer…at least more than I used to be.
I’m not sure what happened. I used to be more up-beat, more positive, and more hopeful. It seems as the demands and stresses of life increased, so did my my complaining. Maybe I have more things to complain about now than I did before. (Or maybe I’m just more aware of those things.)
I know some of this is normal and natural. It’s what happens as you grow older. And I certainly don’t want to go through life oblivious to legitimate concerns, but neither do I want to go through life complaining about them.
After reading Numbers chapter 11, I’ve come to realize that complaining doesn’t come from being overly focused on important considerations, but rather from ignoring more important considerations.
Complaining is what happens when we ignore God’s presence, God’s provision, and God’s power. It makes sense, because my complaining if often born out of:
When I focus on God’s presence, provision, then these issues are decidedly answered.
It’s really true…the key to lightening up is looking up!
If you’re one of those people who find yourself complaining more than you use to, try praying this prayer to God every morning: “God, please help each urge to complain trigger me instead to focus on Your presence, provision, and power. Change my heart from focusing on my complaining to focusing on your sustaining.”
“I wish I had known this before I got married.” I hear this a lot as a counselor. Sometimes it’s said in jest, and sometimes it’s said in frustration.
Before we get married, we think we know what it takes to have a good marriage. It’s only after we’re married that we begin to find out how much we really don’t know. The things we don’t know can bring an end to the honeymoon phase of marriage, and if left unaddressed, can bring an end to the marriage itself.
What is it we need to know before we get married…and before we get divorced?
I’ve mentioned before that I’m not a detailed person. I’m a big picture person. I have great ideas, but when I look at all the details of making those great ideas happen, I lose my momentum…and my mind. But after reading Numbers chapter 10, I realize I need to be better at details.
If I had been God, (what a scary thought) I would have said, “Ok. We need to get all of you Israelites from here to there. Go! Details? I don’t know…work them out!” It’s a good thing I’m not God.
God paid attention to details. Because there were no cell phones or public address systems, God gave His people signals to know when to assemble, who to assemble, and why they were assembling.
He also gave them specific assignments for both work and travel. Think how chaotic it can be just to get a family of four started on vacation. Now, think about doing that for an entire nation of people.
He gave them a navigational system to follow. A pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. This was important, because they didn’t have GPS and there were no road signs saying, “This way to the Promise Land.”
God knew what His people needed to get where He wanted them to go, and He provided for that down to the smallest details.
So here’s the obvious application…If God did that for an entire nation of people, why should you and I doubt that He can do that for us?
When I was a child, “because I said so” never felt like a good reason to comply. That’s because there’s something in us that resists being told what to do. We would rather give the orders, than take them.
But that’s not the message of Numbers chapter 9. There, you find a picture of immediate and unquestioning obedience. When the cloud moved, the people moved; no questions asked.
Can you imagine what that would be like? You hear a knock on your door. You open the door and see a man with a clipboard who says, “It’s time.” So you pack up your entire household and set out. Twelve hours later, you pull in somewhere at the man’s direction. It appears you’ve arrived, so you unpack and set up house.
After a week or so, you’ve finally settled in and have things where you can find them. Then one Saturday morning, there’s a knock on your door. You open the door and see the same man with the same clip board who tells you, “It’s time.” So once again, you begin to pack things up and load them in the truck.
This routine continues…for the rest of your life! Sometimes you get to stay for a long time, and sometimes you just get to stay for the night. And you never know when you’re going to hear the knock on the door and face the man with the clip board saying, “It’s time.”
Can you imagine the obedience this would take? I’d like to say my life is characterized by such obedience, but I know better.
The key to such obedience is becoming convinced that obeying God…because He said so…is more beneficial that anything else you can do. (Deut. 6:3) When you become convinced of this, “because I said so,” will be enough for you.