Numbers 14-1-4 – “Then all the community raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night. ² And all the Israelites murmured against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had perished in this wilderness! ³ Why has the Lord brought us into this land only to be killed by the sword, that our wives and our children should become plunder? Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?” ⁴ So they said to one another, “Let’s appoint a leader and return to Egypt.”

I woke up this morning with heaven on my mind, and that produced overflowing gladness in my heart. Life is for living, and living is for life. We need to seize the day and squeeze every ounce of joy out of it.

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word, I was drawn to the realization that unredeemed human nature is never satisfied. Even among believers, the cravings of the flesh sometimes are stronger than the surrender to God.

In Exodus, we see Israel’s wonderful deliverance, the incredible manifestation of God’s power, patience, and love. Yet human nature kept surfacing and revealing the depravity of the heart.

God would respond to their grumbling with a miracle, and within days, they had forgotten the provision and wanted more. The unregenerate heart is never satisfied. It becomes, “What have you done for me lately.” They kept losing focus, and their confidence in God was pressed to the back of the bus by their desire for more and ease. Difficulties quickly shifted their focus from God and what He had done to what they perceived they lacked.

Numbers 14:4 powerfully reveals this.   When difficulty came, they said, “Let’s choose a leader, and let’s go back to Egypt.”  They preferred bondage, where they knew what to expect, over facing the unknown. They lost sight of God’s love, demonstrated power, and promised. Too often, if it’s difficult, we draw back.

Moses repeatedly had to stand in the gap for rebellious, carnal Israel. The result of his intercession reveals God’s heart. It also illustrates the power and importance of just one person standing in prayer! Imagine if a whole church did that!

If we follow God’s directives implicitly, we receive God’s blessings powerfully.

Difficulties are not signs of being out of God’s will nor signs of being in it. They can be either. Sometimes, they are tests whereby we learn obedience and trust. In Revelation 3:19, Jesus spoke prophetically to and through John to the church at Laodicea and to us – “All those I dearly love I unmask and train (rebuke and discipline). He followed that with an amazing promise that applies to us in verse 20. “Behold (Attention), I’m standing at the door (of the heart), knocking.”

He promises to guard, guide, equip, enable, and empower us to live in the midst of difficulty with a settled confidence that He Is!   It is not an easy path; we should be seeking Him in the midst of trials.   When we are fully united with and to Him, we have no sense of lack, even in times of apparent need. He Is, and because He Is, we are always protected and provided for.

Trials make us strong or wrong.   We always have a choice.  We can trust God and be content or let the flesh cravings make us lament and resent.   But my God shall supply ALL your needs by, in, and through Christ Jesus! 

His provision is already done. We need to provide Him with a receptacle He can fill. When things get tough, the tough step into His presence, resist the flesh and rest in Him. This is temporary. He is eternal! Victory is yours if you are His!

Victory is promised to the faithful who persist and do not give up!