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5/24 Reading Portions: Numbers 33; Psalm 78:1-37; Isaiah 25; 1 John 3
Psalm 78:32
In spite of all this, they still sinned; despite His wonders, they did not believe.
ENCOUNTER
When I was a new believer, just a year or two walking with the Lord, I used to wonder how Israel could witness the miraculous hand of God, time and time again, yet grumble and murmur so miserably against Him. I was but a babe in Christ then; and just as we hold, nurture, and protect our infants and toddlers, the heavenly Father does so for us with the utmost love, amazing grace, and enduring mercy. Like any babe, who cries for milk, cries for coddling, cries for attention, cries because he can’t sleep, as spiritual babes Israel sinned; Israel complained; Israel did not believe despite His wonders. We were, and are, no better than Israel in their deliverance by God’s mighty hand from Egypt; and in fact, I know I am much worse. I have witnessed the awesome wonder of God’s grace in Christ time and again, yet I’ve wavered in faith; I’ve succumbed to temptations; I’ve stumbled in sin. When we were babes in Christ, the Father cared for us unbeknownst to our growing, infantile minds. We were so wrapped up in memorizing John 3:16, we saw not the fleshly corruptions of our own self-centeredness. Moreover, as we grow to walk in the Lord Jesus Christ, increasing in stature and wisdom to work for our Lord, we do so in the wilderness of this world. We have, do, and will encounter trials and difficulties for sure, just as Israel had. Yet we have a greater promise than the land flowing with milk and honey. We have eternal life and fellowship with God the Father. We have a greater guide than Moses— the Holy Spirit. We have a more faithful and true witness than the split rocks in the wilderness— the Lord Jesus Christ. The lust of the flesh desires to wipe out the exaltation of Christ and the glory of God in Christ. Submission to King Jesus, surrender to His gospel, and dependence upon His grace for growth, dependence upon His knowledge for faith, and dependence upon His wisdom for guidance and direction are the heavenly remedies for the forgetfulness and unfaithfulness which ails the weakness of our flesh. Hallelujah! What a Savior!