On Wilderness Wisdom #1...

-

So I’ve been reading Exodus through to Deuteronomy over the past few months, and have stumbled across various perceptive nuggets of insight from the wilderness wanderings of the (in)famous motley family troupe. These gems were learned the hard way most of the time, if at all! More like “Truth Bombs” as MD would say! It’s a collection that I call “Wilderness Wisdom”...

Tried And True? God Doesn't Think So!

Most times I live on the basis of tried and true methods. If something has worked for me in the past, I’d rather follow that pattern again, than risk a newfangled one. But God, being the Creative One, doesn't think so!

In Numbers 20:8-12, God commands Moses to “speak” to a rock for it to yield its water. This was the second instance of water being brought forth from a rock. Earlier, Moses had been instructed to “strike” the rock, and water had gushed forth. Piece of cake, wouldn't you say? This time should have been easy. He had done it before after all; he could follow the same method again. Tried and true! It ought to have worked. And in a way it did, in that the people’s thirst was quenched. Unfortunately, it didn't in the way that truly mattered!

This second time, I think several factors compounded themselves to force Moses to make the worst mistake of his life. He was irritated with his grumbling relatives and their incessant complaining. His elder sister had just passed away and he was still grieving. But the most important factor was that he did not “believe” that talking to a rock was going to achieve anything! God pulls him up short for that, in spite of the water that was produced.

“...you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel...”*

God was concerned about Moses’ underlying unbelief rather than the miracle of water gushing from a rock. In my life too, God sees my intentions and motives rather than the outward spirituality...I wonder, would He be disappointed?

God calls us to believe and obey – even when it means stepping outside the tried and true into unknown territory. Comfort zones and experience aren't what God has called us to live by. Choosing them is as good as saying I don’t believe God!

*Numbers 20:12

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

On Waiting…Again…

-
I waited for you beside the waters But you did not come. And as I gazed at my reflection, I saw the quiet surface, Ripple and furl. Sunlight that had danced his way Through the billows, Now hid himself, Shying away from what the waters showed – me! The still waters turned choppy And I, lone and cold, Waited for you But you did not come. I ranted and raved, And ordered Him to tell you to come. I was waiting after all. Was it so unfair what I asked? In the silence, And the cold, With only the North wind for company, I finally knelt, Too spent to weep, And gave Him what I’d been holding Tightly to my heart – you. The wind died and The waters stilled. And I saw my watery visage again. The sunlight deigned to grace me With his presence, This time! It dawned on me I had been placing the wrong order. He was leading me to you Not the other way round! So I have begun to walk. Along the green pastures, And beside the still waters; Sometimes dark valleys
Read more

On Father’s Day...Belatedly...

-
Image
So, between work and fighting off an annoyingly persistent bout of cold, I’ve fallen deplorably behind in my reading. But, on the bright side, I’ve finally gotten around to writing this post for Father’s Day. (I have good intentions! Unfortunately, they don’t get implemented immediately!) So taking a break from the Reading List, here’s to my dad… My father – well where do I start – there are so many instances I remember from my childhood; instances that have defined our relationship in many ways. I always enjoyed running errands with my dad. My earliest memory is of standing beside him with my arm around his neck as he drove his Mahindra Jeep in Muzaffarpur. I think that’s when I developed a love for jeeps. He had a phrase that he used to describe me, (which I only understood when I was older!) – “Three years old and three feet tall.” After we moved to Hyderabad , I remember many rides, sitting on the petrol tank of his Yezdi. With the wind in my face, and my dad behind me, that
Read more

On Waiting...

-
Isaiah 25:9 “Behold this is our God; We have waited for Him and He will save us. This is the Lord; We have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.” Waiting is a part of every Christian’s life. The knowledge that at the end of the wait there is redemption, and hope in that redemption, is what gives us the grace to wait. The verse goes a step further and says that we will rejoice and be glad in the midst of waiting – not just at the end of the wait. Isaiah 30:12 “You despise this word and trust in oppression and perversity and rely on them.” The evidence of problems and hardship seem to be more true and real than the Word. The Word says that God blesses those who trust in Him and wait for Him. But that seems to last forever - the waiting I mean - and nothing seems to happen. On the other hand when things go wrong, those circumstances seem more real than God’s promises. Isaiah 30:15,16 “In returning and rest you shall be saved. In quietness and confidence sh
Read more