(Taken and adapted from a Your Daily Bible Verse podcast episode.)
When faced with a challenge, which way do you most tend to lean. Do you honestly acknowledge the problem and your emotions but then sift your them through everything you know about God, saying, “Yes, this challenge seems insurmountable and beyond me and my resources or strength, but Almighty, all-powerful God is bigger.
Or do you lean the other way? Do you tend to add faith-disclaimers? Do you find yourself, in essence, saying, “Yes, God is all-knowing, all-powerful, faithful, always with me–He retains full control over every situation … except this one. This problem right here, it’s just too much.”?
We see examples of both in Numbers 13. If you spend much time reading Old Testament Scripture, you may be familiar with this period in ancient Israel’s history. Through Moses, the man God chose to liberate His people, He freed them from 400 years of slavery to the nation of Egypt–through a series of miraculous, unforgettable and irrefutable signs, I might add. He used their journey to the Promised Land to reveal His nature and His heart, and ultimately, lead them to Himself..
Prior to their entrance into their new land, Moses sent twelve spies to scout out the area so they could report on the area and its people. After 40 days, the men returned with evidence of the land’s abundance.
Had they focused on the bounty they carried and the power, presence, and promises of God , they could’ve spent the rest of their lives enjoying the peace and provisions of God rather than wondering about the desert for 40 years. Had they honestly expressed their concerns to Him, I’m certain He would’ve provided the assurance they needed. Then, again, they could’ve avoided a long, tiring four-decade wilderness trek.
Unfortunately, however, they focused entirely on the challenge ahead, refusing to hear truth, while forgetting all of the ways God had faithfully protected and provided for them.
In short, they amplified their problems and minimized their God. This caused them and nearly the entire camp–all 600,000 plus of them, to become paralyzed in fear.
Caleb, however, focused on reality. As one of the spies who also had seen the fortified cities throughout Canaan and all the people–some quite large and militant, living within their walls, he understood precisely what challenges lay ahead of them. He probably knew Amalekites Hittites, Jebusites Amorites and Canaanites wouldn’t give up their territory without a fight. He likely realized they had better trained and equipped soldiers than a nation of former slaves. But He also knew that all the armies in the world combined times ten proved no match for Jehovah Sabaoth, the Lord of heaven’s armies.
That was the “Nevertheless” he focused on. “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it,” he said.
Unfortunately, the people refused to listen to him and therefore forfeited the blessing God had planned on giving them.
I wonder, how often do we do the same. How often do we forfeit blessings God wants to give us–out of fears we feed through a misplaced focus?
We will always have a “nevertheless” or “Yes, but.” We get to choose what we elevate–our problems and the fear they evoke, or our fearless God.
I get this isn’t easy. To stand firm on faith, we’ll probably need to redirect our thoughts a thousand times, maybe even a thousand times each day. But each time we do, our faith grows a little stronger, simultaneously starving our fears.
Catch more of Moses and the Israelite’s journey in the Your Daily Bible Verse series titled Moses: From Fearful to Faithful. Find the latest episode HERE. Catch the Your Daily Bible Verse GodTube channel HERE.
