Tag: wilderness

The Spies Sent Out by Moses

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

By the time you get to Numbers 13 in your study of the journey of the Israelites through the wilderness, you should understand that the hearts of many of the people were still set on selfishness instead of on the Lord. God had saved them from slavery in Egypt, given them food to eat, kept them safe and still they whined and complained. So it is no surprise that when the representatives from each tribe were sent to do reconnaissance and bring back a report of what Canaan was like, most of the spies were negative and reported that there was no way that the Israelites could be victorious. Yes, the land was good and the food there was plentiful, but the enemy were giants. Thus, they were reluctant to go forward. Only Caleb from the tribe of Judah and Joshua from the tribe of Ephraim encouraged the people to continue forward, as lead by the Lord.

Caleb’s positive attitude did not come because he was confident in his own ability or in the ability of the warriors with Israel. Rather, he was confident in the might of the Lord. His certainty was strongly rooted in his faith in God. I want to be a Caleb in a land of naysayers who all want to stay right where they are, comfortably ensconced in a wilderness while God provides food, shelter, and clothing that never wears out. There’s nothing wrong with that, right? Of course, there is something wrong with that! The Israelites did not wander for forty years in the wilderness just to be content staying there! They were sent to occupy the Promised Land and it was ready for them to march in and take, but because of the unbelief and reluctance of some of the leaders, they had to stay in the wilderness for more years. Of those leaders, only Caleb and Joshua got to go into Canaan.

Sometimes life seems like a wilderness journey, but we get comfortable with those circumstances and although we don’t like them too well, we don’t want change to happen because we don’t know what the outcome of the change will be. Either we trust God to take us out of the wilderness into the new place that He has promised us or we don’t. Either we are a Caleb who sees God taking care of things for us or we stay where we are, moaning over the circumstances but reluctant to try to change them. Again, I want to be a Caleb. I don’t want to be stuck in the wilderness, moaning and whining and refusing to move forward. I don’t want God to leave me there because of my unbelief. Sometimes I have to take the time to pray for help with my unbelief and a new infusion of faith. Keeping records of past answers to prayer helps restore me and get me ready to move on. Do you want to move on with God or stay comfortably where you are, even though that is not God’s best for you? I know what my choice is and I hope that you are aware of the repercussions to making the wrong choice.

May the Lord bless you with the desire to want to be a Caleb in the middle of the wilderness of life and grant you the courage to move forward with Him. Not ahead of Him, not behind Him, but with Him as your guide into His very best for you!

Crossroads

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

God is calling us all to a relationship with Him but in our busy lives, we have turned aside and followed other paths. I believe with all of my heart that have passed the crossroads, much like the ancient civilizations of Israel and Judah. We have wandered down the wrong path, away from our roots of faith and God’s blessings. I don’t know if it’s too late to return to the original path, but I know that we, as Christians, need to be sounding the alarm that the path we are taking as a nation is the wrong one. We stood at a crossroads and went the wrong way. I don’t know when it happened. I just see all of the evidence that it did, and I fear for the future of our nation. God’s chosen people was Israel and yet, they ceased to exist for hundreds of years because of their stubborn refusal to repent and acknowledge God as Lord. Israel had the wrong leaders and their priests were not doing their job to keep the people focused on God. Is the U.S.A. on the same pathway to destruction? I fear that it is, but my hope lies in the Lord who will be with His people regardless of the judgment that is to come. We have passed the crossroads and are wandering in the wilderness of sin. All I can say is that we need to turn back, return to God and ask Him for mercy for our ungodly nation.

Excited About What God Will Do Next

On By vickleaIn Scripture15 Comments

Okay, so I confess that lately I have been in what my grandmother used to call the mulligrubs. Yes, my friends, that is a real word and it means that I have been bad-tempered and grumpy. Most people who don’t know me well would not have noticed because I hide my feelings, but I am certain that my poor husband has felt the brunt of my dissatisfaction with life in general. Anyway, this morning started as most do, with morning meds, feeding the cat and then sitting down with a heating pad against my back while I start reading my devotionals and my Bible. Zing! Right between the eyes!

Well! This verse really spoke to my heart today! I have been in the mulligrubs since I found out two weeks ago that once again I have to give up foods that I enjoy because of a health condition. This time, I have to eat only low potassium foods and believe me, from one who reads labels constantly, that is no easy thing. Gone…all of the canned soups that I enjoy, even the low sodium ones that I have eaten since my stroke. Gone…the clementines that I had daily just because I like their sweetness. Gone…all tomato products, including tomato sauce and catsup. And gone…milk chocolate! You get the idea. I was feeling bad for me. Poor me! I have a kidney that is not cooperating and as a result, if I want to continue to live (which at points during the last two weeks I was not sure I did, to be honest), I have to follow these new restrictions. I’m sure that God has tired of my whining, and in His grace and mercy He spoke to me this morning with this verse.

I may not get to enjoy certain foods, but God is still right there with me. God is carrying me through this current valley and one day I will be delivered from it. I personally think that day will come when He carries me to Heaven to be with Him eternally, but the Scriptures don’t really say. I just needed the hope that comes from believing that all in my life may change, but God does not. You would think that after almost five decades of walking with Him I would have already known this. In my heart of hearts, I’m sure I have known it, but I needed a reminder, a gentle push in the right direction, if you will.

This was an eye-opening verse for me. I wanted things to stay the same. After all, I had gotten used to my low sodium diet and was almost content with it. Then I was zapped with the new diet and the complaints began. Nothing tasted good or enticed me to eat much. But God tells me in His Word that He is doing a new thing. My wilderness right now is a new diet and I sincerely believe that God is going to create something good and new in this situation, like rivers in a desert. I don’t know how He is going to do it; I just know that He is because He loves me and wants me to know that He is right there with me, in my wilderness, taking care of me through this valley.

My question to you, my friends, is what wilderness are you in today that you need to trust God to supply water for you? In what way does God need to carry and deliver you? God supplies our needs: physically, spiritually and emotionally. I may not like where I am, but that is just what it is. Did the fact that my kidney function is going down surprise God? Of course not! Did He already know that I would need to change my dietary habits in many significant ways? I’m sure that He did, but He wasn’t at all bothered by it or by the fact that I have been in the mulligrubs. He has brought me out of the mulligrubs into a place of new thankfulness for His loving care and provision. As I eat my blueberry cheerios with almond milk today, I will be thankful that there are things that I can still eat. Perspective changes when God gets hold of you; instead of thinking of all that I can no longer eat or drink, I am thankful that I can eat or drink some things and that God has provided us with enough funds to buy those things.

“Desert Song” by Hillsong

May you each find your way through the wilderness to the place of rest in Him. God bless you!