Spiritual Giants like Moses

Day 28: Numbers 9 to 12

Have you ever known a spiritual giant?

I can think of several people in my own life who have made quite an impression on me.

My father.
My mother.
My great-grandmother Meme.
My husband.
My in-laws.
Friends like Danny Mathews, Andrew Johnson, Amy Konermann, and Shelly Willbanks.
Preachers and teachers I’ve had: Michael Lewis, Mike Cope, John Risse, Shane Alexander, Becky Van Rheenan, Candace Vogt, Charles and Judy Siburt, and Karen Alexander.

I have had many spiritual mentors in my life. These people study and mediate on scripture. They bring new insights to Christianity and what it means to live a cruciform life. They are prayer warriors. They practice spiritual disciplines. They talk the talk and walk the walk. They are mentors, friends, and advisers.

When we meet someone like this, we know that we have seen Jesus. We have glimpsed what it is to live life in the kingdom of God. What makes people like this so special is that they allow us to realize all that God intended life in Christ to be like. Even though we may not often meet people who become mentors, advisers, and heroes to us, we know that at this moment, we are glimpsing more than humanity; we are glimpsing the life-changing ways of Jesus Christ.

Moses was a spiritual giant. He had the Spirit of God resting on him, and God listened to him. When the Israelites complained about their hardships and God sent a fire to burn among their camps, God prayed to the Lord and the fire died down. When the people complained that they had nothing but manna to eat, Moses prayed to God, saying, “I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.” And so God took the Spirit that was on Moses and put it on seventy Israelite leaders. These 70 men helped carry the burden of the people, and Moses no longer had to carry it alone. When Miriam and Aaron oppose Moses and God curses Miriam with Moses, Moses prayed for God to heal his sister, and God did so.

God responded to Moses’ requests for forgiveness and healing, which suggests that Moses was a man of God. Moses responded to the call of God to be a leader of the Israelites. The people trusted Moses, and Moses became the voice of the people to God.

Even when Joshua, Moses’ assistant, became worried and jealous when other men began prophesying, Moses showed humility, expressing how much he desired all God’s people to use the gifts that God gave them—even if it meant that some power or prestige might be taken from him.

Moses is someone to be admired and imitated. He is a “spiritual giant” (so to speak) of his community. They go to him, and he goes to God. His life has obviously been touched through his relationship with God. I hope that my life is also one that has been touched through my relationship with God. I hope that yours is, too.

Trusting God Is Hard to Do

Day 17: Exodus 14 to 17

After reading this section of text where the Israelites escape through the Red Sea and then wander in the wilderness, I am annoyed with them, yet I can identify with them. They whine and whine and whine. They doubt God and wonder what He is up to. They complain, complain, complain. And as a reader, this gets old. But as a human, I can totally identify with it because I do the same thing with God. When things are going well, I thank him for his gifts and blessings and when things go poorly or when I don't hear his voice at all, I whine and complain, whine and complain. God must be annoyed with the Israelites, and he must get annoyed with me, too.

Why is it so hard to trust God--to trust in God--to take care of us?

I think part of this answer lies with our American culture. We tend to trust ourselves and look out for number one. If things are going well, we give ourselves credit, and when things turn sour, we blame others. We don't stay in relationships long and when it looks like we aren't going to win, we give up. We also are very self-reliant; we don't want to trust anyone but ourselves.

If we apply these principles to our relationship with God, we may be one to only pray when we need something, or to only remember God in the bad times of our lives. We may even blame God when our poor choices have negative consequences. In addition, we are hesitant to trust others because so often we have been let down. And at times it seems that God has let us down, too, so we are hesitant to trust God.

I think another part has to do with our own insecurity. Would God really let this happen to us? I thought he wanted only what is good for me.

I also think that trusting God is hard because we don't know where trusting him might take us. We may be forced to give up things to which we are attached but that may not be good for us. Or we may be called out of our comfort zones to do things like giving up your possessions, your job security, or your home to move somewhere else.

Trusting God is hard.

But He shows us again and again that He will provide for us. The provision may not always look like we want it to be, but he does take care of us. He will take care of us. I can trust that; you can, too.