I don't know why I sometimes approach my Bible reading as if it is just something I "have to do". But, I must confess that as I looked at my reading program and saw that I was to read Numbers 9-12, I did not anticipate much. But, our Living God, had something in store for me.
Briefly, as a reminder to those of you who do not instantly remember these texts. The Israelites are in the desert. Moses is in command. To move the whole nation of Israel, there was a sign given to them - the Cloud and the Fire. The cloud was for the day, the fire for night. Whenever it remained still, the Israelites were to stay in camp, and whenever it moved, they were to move. Then as the text continues, we see that although God is providing manna for them, they cry out for meat. So God gives it to them - in an overwhelming abundance so much so that they could not stand the sight of the quail at the end of a month. To top off this story, we see Aaron and Miriam (siblings of Moses) approach him in the tent of meeting and proclaim that they have just as much "right" to speak to God as he does. Miriam ends up afflicted with leprosy immediately. As I read this text, I realized that there were some lessons in it that I have experienced this past year (and no, I didn't get leprosy!).
First, God continues to provide "clouds" for us to understand His will. I have been asked, "how did you KNOW that God was calling you to Africa?" This is a legitimate question. I don't know that I have a "great" answer, except that as I began to seek out God's answer to this, it became obvious that He placed some "markers" for us to follow. As we focused on these markers, we became more aware of when we were to move and when we were to sit still.
Second, I also learned that when God begins moving, we must be ready to move. Graciously God prepared our hearts so that as we continued to walk through the process, we were ready to move on to the next. We have realized that there were many opportunities to get "stuck" where we were, but we maintained our willingness to be ready. This is not an easy task with a young family. But nonetheless, the Israelites were able to pick up and go at a moments notice; I think we need to be just as ready.
Third, I have also learned not to complain about the manna! God really does give us exactly what we need, when we need it. Sometimes this does not always meet our "wants", but it always meets our "needs". Fortunately, we have by and large avoided this pitfall, and have not found ourselves growing weary of the manna - well, except for the part where Romans 5:3-4 talks about "we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope." There have been times where we have said, "I think we have enough 'character' for now." Anyway, you get the idea!
And finally, we have learned that we can not focus on someone else's relationship with God, or their ministry. We have had some missionary friends that have raised their support much faster than we have. We have been tempted (and guilty) of comparing ourselves to them. This is really dangerous ground (as Miriam experienced!). It can result in grumbling or complaining. It can also result in wrong attitudes. It shifts focus from God to us. We need to learn to exhalt in someone else's achievements and success. We need to learn to praise God that He is answering their prayers.
Yes, God is still alive. He is still giving us Cloud and Fire. We need to learn to focus on Him, to be ready to move when He says "move", to not complain about the manna He gives us, and not to worry about the progress of our brothers or sisters in Christ.
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