Longing for Justice, Working Towards Change

This week, almost four weeks to the day after hearing about Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, I see another name turned hashtag trending on Twitter. George Floyd. I know by now what this means. It means another person of color has been unjustly killed. My heart immediately sank. I quickly saw a video being posted and shared across social media of this man’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers. I did not watch the video. I don’t need to see the video to know what happened. I can’t watch another video. Not after Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, and Ahmaud Arbery.

When I see these things happen, these image bearers of God murdered for no reason, I become overwhelmed with sadness and anger. I’m angry that people in our country continue to marginalize, harm, and kill people of color. I’m angry that we have institutions heavily and actively bent towards helping white people and keeping minorities oppressed. I’m angry that many fellow white people refuse to recognize any racial disparity in our country. Yes, in some ways we have come a long way from slavery and Jim Crow, but in so many other ways we have a lot farther to go. What I’m most angry about though is these names, these men and women, could easily one day be my son. My son is a wonderful boy that loves trucks, riding his bike, and making jokes every chance he gets. He also has beautiful, brown skin. I’m angry that one day he’s going to come face-to-face with the harsh reality that, due to racism and hatred in some people’s hearts, he will be treated differently. He will be looked at differently. He will be spoken to by many white people and those in authority differently. I’m angry that he won’t receive the benefit of the doubt, like all of his white friends will. I’m angry that he’ll have to be better—speak with more respect, behave better, etc. —than his white friends. I’m angry that he could possibly be looked at as suspicious or looked at as a criminal simply because brown or black skin is associated by many with suspicious or criminal behavior. I’m angry that I’ll have to teach him what to do and how to act if he ever gets pulled over by the police. My parents never had to have that conversation with me. Sadly, though, this is the reality of millions of minority families in our country. It breaks my heart that black and brown parents all across our country have to have these conversations with their children. This should not be.

To any white people reading this: let this reality sink in. This should grieve your heart. It should cause you to realize things are not right and things have to change. How do we do that? How do we respond in these moments and work towards change?

I’d like to share a few things to consider:

1. We should cry out to God in lament, sadness, and beg for justice. Our God is a God of justice. Anyone who tries to tell you that social justice is not spoken of in Scripture, honestly, and this is the nicest I can put it, hasn’t read their Bible. Books like Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Amos, many Psalms, and Jesus’ ministry show us over and over again that God cares about justice for the oppressed and marginalized. So, our first response should be sadness, grief, and looking to God for justice.

 

2. Confront the racism in your own heart. We should never be so prideful to think we are above committing any sin, and that includes racism. Search your heart. Ask the Lord to reveal any speck of racism in your heart, even those parts you may be blind to. Repent of that racism and bring your heart back in line with God’s. We have to be diligent here, because too often we say we’re not racist because there are no overt signs of racism. Racism, however, is revealed in our stereotypes and prejudices, in the jokes we’re comfortable making and laughing at, and in our initial responses when we see another black person killed. If your first response to the murders of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd was, “I need more facts,” then there is something wrong in your heart. We all need to base our opinions on facts, but there is a long history of racism in our country, we should not need more evidence. There is a long history of black men and women murdered at the hands of white people, we should not need more evidence. My question to you would be why? Why do you need more evidence? Why do you need these murders to be justified? What facts could you possibly find out that could justify the murder of another human? Search your heart. Ask yourself hard questions. Do the hard work of repentance.

Another issue along with confronting our heart is a desperate need for a more robust doctrine of the image of God. Every human ever born bears the image of God. As such, we should treat everyone with the dignity and respect that image deserves. This means we don’t try to become color blind. Our goal should be to recognize, appreciate, and cherish all of our skin tones and bring honor to our creative God. When we truly recognize and appreciate the image of God in all people, our hearts will be grieved and moved to action when image bearers are mistreated. The vast majority of Christians are pro-life, which is a good thing. We are really good at affirming the image of God in the unborn. We forget sometimes that being pro-life means being pro all of life. Pro-life and protecting and cherishing the image of God in all people has to extend beyond the womb.

3. Expand your community and learn from different voices. If all your friends are white and if all the people you read and listen to are white, then you need to expand. My heart, views, and mind were changed when I adopted our son Zaeden. It was my love for him that prompted me to learn more about the history of racism in this country. It was my love for him that led me to confront some dark parts of my own heart. It is hard for your view and racial understanding to be changed if you don’t have anyone in your life that you deeply care about that is a person of color. Your views won’t be challenged if everyone you listen to or read has the same viewpoint, upbringing, and mindset as you. That’s not healthy or conducive to growth, so you should change just on that alone. If you really want to change in this area, white person, you need to expand who you are listening to. You need to listen to, read, and learn from people of color. If you want some recommendations, please let me know.

 

4. Educate yourself on racism and the issues that go along with it. This is so important. Learn about the racial history of our country. If you’re a fellow believer, learn about the racial issues that have plagued the church. Learn about the wealth gap and why it exists. Learn about things like redlining and why it matters. Learn about systemic racism. Learn about the issues in our legal system and with incarceration. Learn what white privilege actually means (and no, it doesn’t mean you had an easy life, and everything handed to you). Learn about white and black representation in our media, culture, etc. and why it matters.

 

5. Speak up. When you hear racist comments, speak up. When you see racial misunderstanding, speak up. When your friends or family members have a wrong viewpoint, speak up. When you see injustice happening, speak up. White parents teach your children about racism, why it’s sinful, and commit to not tolerate any aspect of it. Let us raise up a generation that will not accept any form of racism.

 

6. Learn about systemic racism and why it’s an issue. Racism will continue to be an issue if we continue to treat it like an individual sin problem—it isn’t, it goes much deeper than that. It was an issue with ancient Israel (see the book of Amos) and it’s an issue in America.

 

7. Be active in your community. Seek out ways to serve those that are oppressed and marginalized. Work for change when you see issues of systemic racism. Let us find ways to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

In these difficult, sad, and heavy moments I’m thankful to worship a God that we can cling to. Our God has a heart for justice and the oppressed (Psalm 103:6). Our God draws near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). Our God is a God of hope, peace, and comfort. One day our God will put an end to all sin. He will end all racism. He will correct every injustice. He will punish the wicked. He will end all pain and suffering. One day he will wipe every tear from our eyes (Revelation 21:1-4). I look forward and long for that day. Until then let us remember the words of Micah the prophet, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

Why Does God Allow Pain and Suffering

When we walk through seasons of pain and suffering, we all tend to ask why? Why are these things happening? We ask because we want answers and reasons for what often feels like senseless suffering. So we ask God why are you allowing these bad things to happen? It’s a question that theologians and philosophers have wrestled with for centuries. Thankfully the Bible speaks into this question. While God and the Bible do not always tell us the reason why we are walking through a time of pain and suffering, it does give us many things to consider and remember as we process through our questions. I want to share three of those things with you today. You can check out the video or read below:

First we need to remember two important truths:

1. God is the creator and we are the creature

As the creator, God has every right to deal with his creation in any way he sees fit. This means that God does not owe us answers and we may not get answers to why we are suffering. This is the lesson of Job. Job suffers a lot of pain and suffering and most of the book is Job asking God and his friends why these things happened to him. At the end of Job, God responds to Job but doesn’t answer his why question. Instead God asks Job a series of questions and at the end Job is in awe of God’s power and sovereignty and bows in worship of the Creator God.

2. We are sinners and our sin causes a lot of damage.

When sin entered the world, it corrupted everything and continues to do so today. Sin causes damage in our lives, the lives of those around us, and in the created world. Much of our pain and suffering in this world is a direct result of the damage from sin—broken relationships, disease, natural disasters, etc.

When we ask why we are walking through a season of difficulty, it is important to remember 3 things from God’s Word regarding pain and suffering:

1. God wants us to draw near.

When we go through a season of pain and suffering, the temptation is to pull away from God. This is typically due to our anger and frustration towards God for our time of suffering. But, it is important to fight this temptation and instead draw near to God. God wants us to draw near to him—even when we’re angry with him. We can bring all of those emotions to God—he can handle it.

To draw near to God focus on these things:

• Read the Bible. It is important to continue reading Scripture. You may feel that you’re not getting anything out of it, but it’s important to continue pressing forward in in this discipline. If you’re having a hard time, try reading the Psalms. Some of my favorites when walking through a time of difficulty are Psalms 16, 22-23, 34, 40, 88-89, and 121.
• Lean into your church community. Stay connected to your church family. You need a team of people who love you and will walk alongside you during this time.
• Write down all of those questions and feelings toward God.
• Pray and pray a lot. Prayer helps us stay connected to God, which is so important during seasons of suffering.

2. God understands suffering.

God understands and is familiar with suffering. He is not distant or unaware during our moments of pain. We this clearly in the life of Jesus. In John 11 Jesus wept at the loss of his friend Lazarus. On the cross Jesus suffers physically and spiritually as he bears our sin and wrath due our sin. So God understands what it is like to suffer.

He is also close in our moments of suffering. In Hebrews 4:15-16 we are told that Jesus is our great High Priest who draws near to us and can understand our moments of weakness and suffering. In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul asks God to remove his thorn in his flesh (whatever it was), but God says no. He doesn’t, however, leave Paul alone in his suffering. God comes alongside him and tells Paul that his grace will be sufficient for Paul. God’s strength will carry him through his suffering. When we walk through a season of pain and suffering, remember that God is right there with us the entire time carrying us through it.

3. God is always at work in our moments of pain and suffering.

We might know why we’re suffering at the moment, but we can trust that our God is always at work. We see this in the life of Joseph. After all the difficulty that Joseph walks through, he can say near the end of his life, what others meant for evil God meant for good. This means that our suffering is never senseless. Our God has a plan and he is always working to accomplish his plans—which can include moments of pain and suffering.

God is always working towards the ultimate end. At the end God will put an end to all pain, suffering, sin, and evil. He will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and we will spend eternity with him in complete perfection. When we walk through moments of pain and suffering, we can remember that God is working and one day we will be with him in perfection.

Lastly, if you know someone who is currently walking through a season of suffering, remember these 5 things:

1. Don’t try to give them answers. You don’t know why they’re suffering anyways. Just say “I’m sorry” and “I love you and am here for you.”
2. Obey Romans 12:15 and weep with those who weep. Be a constant presence and offer a shoulder to cry on.
3. Be a safe place. Let them vent their frustrations. Again, don’t offer answers, just listen and be there for them. Don’t betray confidences.
4. Pray with them and for them.
5. Point them to Jesus. He’s the only one who can offer peace, hope, and comfort.

Trusting God in Times of Suffering

The Bible frequently encourages us to trust God in every moment and this is especially true in moments of suffering and difficulty. It seems, however, that in moments of suffering it is really difficult to trust God (or maybe I’m the only that struggles with that). In this video I share 3 ways we can build our trust in God in difficult moments, similar to what the world is facing now with COVID-19.

Those 3 things are:

1. Believe in God’s supreme power and sovereignty over all things
2. Remember the ways God has come through in the past
3. Be honest with yourself and God about your emotions and struggles (good or bad)

Check out the video and let me know your thoughts and/or questions.

The Struggle to Believe

There’s a story in Mark 9 where a man comes to Jesus asking him to heal his son from an “unclean spirit.” This boy has been possessed since birth and the evil spirit causes him to go mute, seize up, and has often thrown him into fire or water trying to kill him. This man is desperate to heal his son, so he brings him to Jesus’ disciples asking them to help. Jesus’ disciples try to help but fail, as we often see in the Gospels their faith isn’t strong enough.

Now Jesus has come to this man asking what the problem is. The man explains everything to Jesus and says, “if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us” (Mark 9:22). Jesus responds by saying, “’If you can’…” I imagine Jesus saying this with his head kind of cocked to the side, as if to say, “’If you can’…you can’t even scratch the surface of what I can do…”

This man is out of options with his son, and all he knows is that he’s heard this Jesus has cast out demons, and healed other people so maybe he can help my son. He knows at some level Jesus can help, but it’s more of an “I hope he can help” rather than “I know he can help.” Jesus obviously picks up on this and follows his “If you can” statement with, “All things are possible for one who believes.” Jesus is saying here that, if you simply believe in me, I can do all things.

The man responds in verse 24 with, “I believe; help my unbelief!” This is an incredible statement when you think about it. In one sense the man does truly believe that Jesus can heal his son, and at the same time he is really struggling to believe that it is possible. How does this tension between belief and unbelief work? Is it even possible to believe in something or someone and at the same time struggle with your unbelief in that same thing or person? Belief and unbelief are the exact opposites and can’t co-exist together, right?

This story in Mark 9 seems to tell us that this line between belief and unbelief isn’t so clear-cut as we’d like to think. We know this is true because Jesus heals this man’s son. Jesus told him that if he believed then he would be healed, and then the boy was healed. So this man did believe in Jesus, and at the same time he was struggling to believe.

When those of us that are Christians talk about “believing in Jesus,” too often we only talk about the initial faith and belief in Jesus for salvation. That is certainly the most important level of belief in Jesus, but believing in Jesus goes way beyond our initial salvation experience. Believing in Jesus, at all times and with all things, is an everyday struggle for most of that follow Jesus. And I believe that the cry of this man, “I believe; help my unbelief!” is the same cry we have on a regular basis—whether we admit it or not.

I know this is something I am currently walking through right now—this struggle of believing in Jesus in all aspects of my life. I know that what I’m currently walking through has a lot to do with this struggle. Those that know my wife and me are probably familiar with our story and what we’ve been going through. For a few years we have wanted children, and for the last few years we have struggled with infertility. During this time, specifically over the last two years, we have been pregnant twice and lost both babies to miscarriages. We’ve been to several doctors, had several tests and procedures done, and still do not have any children currently with us. We’ve also had several friends and church members get pregnant with no issues and have healthy babies—and praise God for that! But it certainly doesn’t make things easier.

Now one really good thing is that even before we started the process of trying to have kids, Kendra and I both had a desire to adopt a child or children some day. This is truly from God, because I’ve met and talked with couples that struggled with infertility too and they are on opposite ends of the adoption idea. So we’re very thankful that the Lord has given us like minds with this.

Before we got pregnant with our second child, Malachi, Kendra and I started the adoption process through Bethany Christian Services. We stopped the process once we got pregnant in November last year, but then in January we found out we lost a second child in a little over a year. This was an incredibly painful process, and we knew we needed time to heal before deciding what to do next.

Over the next several weeks and months we went through the grief process (and are still going through it), spent a lot of time praying to God and talking with each other about what to do next. We sought counseling and we were finally starting to see some healing. At that point we felt confident that God was calling us to adopt. We resumed the process and are still very much in it. We’ve seen the Lord do some amazing things to provide and guide us over the last few months, but we are still waiting to see how this journey for us ends.

The thing with adoption is you are completely out of control. Once you complete your paperwork, there is nothing more you can do. You can’t speed up the process, you can’t make a birth family choose you, you can’t do anything except wait, and that is tough!! I’m a very patient person, but this is a whole new level of waiting on God and staying patient.

The funny thing is that we are never in control of what’s happening around us and in our lives! We just think we have control. God has all of the control and we have none of it. Going through this adoption process just makes that truth so clear because there’s literally nothing you can do. You can’t even try to do anything to make you feel like you have some level of control!

So as a result of having to walk this path of uncertainty for the last few years, it has been a real struggle to believe in Jesus. And again, I’m not talking about the salvation belief; I haven’t once doubted that Jesus is my savior. I’m talking about the everyday kind of belief. There have been times when I have doubted that Jesus is really in control of all things, because if this is true, which it is, then He could have done something to save my babies and He chose not to. That is a tough thing to wrestle with. I’ve doubted His love and goodness at times. I struggle daily to believe that His ways are better and that He really does have my best interests in mind at all times. I struggle to believe that our story will have a happy ending.

I know these things are true, but it’s tough to believe them all the time. Most of my prayers, especially over the last several months, have been something similar to, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

This is where I’m at. Like this man in Mark 9, I’m in the middle of this tension between believing Jesus can do all things, and at the same time struggling to believe that He really will bring good out of the pain and difficulty we’ve been walking through.

In these moments of doubt and struggle I have to do something. I can’t just let these doubts and fears and worries wash over me. This is where our part comes in to play, where I do have some sense of control. In these times of doubt, I can give into that doubt and fear or whatever I’m struggling with, or I can cry out to God and choose to believe in Him.

I can choose to believe in His promises. I can choose to believe in His ways. I can choose to believe in His goodness. I can choose to believe in His sovereignty, and that He always has my best interests in mind. I can remind myself that even though this life is hard, difficult, and full of disappointments and sufferings, this life is not the end. I can remind myself that I have eternity promised to me. Eternity in the New Heaven and New Earth where there is no more pain, no more suffering, no more tears, no more doubts, no more fears. I will have eternity in the presence of Jesus as He sets all things right.

I can choose to believe this.

A passage that has really ministered to Kendra and me both during these last two years is 2 Corinthians 4:16-18:

“So we do not lose heart. Thought our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

Let’s not lose heart. In moments of doubt, let’s remind ourselves that this life, and all it’s struggles, are just a “light momentary affliction.” Let’s look to Jesus and our “eternal weight of glory,” knowing that one day He will set all things right. In those times we struggle to believe Jesus, let’s cry out, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

Living by Faith

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

This verse has been on my mind a lot recently. I feel like much of what God has been teaching me and showing me over the last few weeks is related to how often I fail to have faith in Him. Now I’m not talking faith in terms of saving faith or doubting my salvation. I’m talking about the everyday faith–trusting God and having faith in His plan every moment of every day.

God has used several things to show me this. He’s used current situations I find myself in (I’ll write more about these in the near future) and going through Numbers in my devotional time. In Numbers 13, Israel is right on the edge of entering the Promised Land (land that by it’s very name God has promised to Israel). God commands them to send out spies to go throughout the land and bring a report back to the people. When the spies return after 40 days, they tell the people the land is amazing and beautiful. But they don’t stop there. Ten of the spies are scared to enter the land because of the people already there, so they tell the Israelites and work everyone up into a frenzy. Now it’s not just the 10 spies that are scared, everyone else is too and are refusing to enter the land. They say crazy things like, “We would rather go back to Egypt!” They would rather go back to SLAVERY than attempt to enter the land God has promised them! How crazy is that?!?!

Those that remember the story know that they do not enter the land, and God punishes their disobedience and says they will now wander throughout the wilderness for 40 years before they can enter the land. Throughout reading and meditating on this, among other things, God reminded me that I too can act this way. There are many times that God calls me to do something, and I freeze up, get scared, and disobey. Or other times I will constantly question God about His plan and doubt that this is what’s best for me. In these moments I’m acting just like the Israelites. It’s easy for us to look at this story and think they were crazy for disobeying. We can look at the story and flip through our Bible and see clearly all the miraculous things God did to bring them out of Egypt, and see the constant stream of promises that He will lead them and protect them. But there are times for all of us when God calls us to do something and we react with fear and doubt, instead of trust and faith.

And what happens when we have doubt and fear instead of faith? We tend to disobey just like the Israelites. We hear God’s plan and think, “Why would He ask me to do that?” or “Why is He leading me down this road?” or “How is He possibly going to do this?” This causes even more questions and leads to more doubt. Eventually it will lead to us abandoning God’s plan all together, or will lead us to try and control the situation. We don’t have all the answers, which scares us, so we think it will be better if we just control everything. We don’t think about this when we’re reacting this way, but responding by trying to control things is one of the most ridiculous things we can do. Really think about this. God calls you to do something that might be scary, or not what you would prefer/want, or outside of your gifting, etc. You aren’t sure how this is going to work out or how it’s going to happen, so instead of living by faith you try to take over. You were worried how God was going to make it happen, but somehow you being in control makes things better? We are doubting the God of the universe, the God that created you and me and everything else out of nothing and we are somehow comforted by taking control away from Him and giving it to ourselves! How does this make any sense? It doesn’t, and yet we do it all the time.

That’s why Hebrews 11:1 is such an important verse. It reminds us that faith doesn’t mean we will have all the information or answers. We have to trust what we don’t see and have assurance in things that have yet to happen. We can have assurance because if God calls us to do something, then it’s like it’s already done because God will complete His plans. Think back to the Israelites. God said He would give Him the land, in God’s eyes it’s already done. The Israelites didn’t believe that and freaked out once a little adversity came. A big part of trusting God in everyday situations is having assurance in His ways and His plans. God’s promises are the only guarantees in life that we have. They’re really the only things we can truly trust in beyond any doubt.

The other part of having faith in God and trusting Him through all things is really believing that God’s plan is better than our plan. We can have trouble believing this one, but it’s so true. God’s ways are always better than our ways, and God says throughout His word that He is working all things together for our good and His glory. If we don’t really believe this we will constantly doubt God’s plan for our lives, especially when it conflicts with ours. Now, God’s plan being better than ours doesn’t mean that it’s easier, or more convenient, or what we would choose. God’s road might be really difficult, filled with struggles, but it’s always what’s best for us. And we can believe that and take God at His word, or we can constantly question and go against Him. It didn’t work out for the Israelites and it won’t work out for us.

How is your faith in God right now? Are you struggling with believing and living out His plan? If you are, I can definitely understand. In those moments of doubt, fear, anxiety, or struggles, let’s remind ourselves that God has a plan and it’s better than ours. Not only does God have a plan, but He always will complete His plan so we can have full confidence and assurance in Him. Let’s strive to walk in faith and trust in God in all circumstances.

When Getting What We Want Doesn’t Work Out

I love amazon.com. I buy most things from there because they have great deals and they pretty much have anything and everything you can want or need. For the most part I mostly buy books from Amazon because they’re really cheap. I’m not made of money though so I can’t just buy a certain book because I want it or it looks interesting–which is why I love their Wish List feature. When I see a new book come out or hear of an old one that I want to purchase but can’t do it at that time I can add it to my Wish List. Honestly I do this for two reasons, one it makes the decision process easy when I do have money and can buy a book or two, and two it helps me not forget a certain book that I want to read (this would be a frequent occurrence without the Wish List).

Some of you may use this feature on Amazon as well, but even if you don’t we all have a “wish list” in life. We all have certain things that we really want. It could be as little as a couple new books, new clothes, or a new piece of technology. It could be bigger like a new car, house, or job. It could be beyond material items like we want to be in shape, better-looking, a better marriage, children, or to have more friends. Whatever it is, we all have a list composed of things that we want. It may not be written down somewhere, but it’s in our head and if we’re honest with ourselves we think about those things often. We do this because we fall into the trap of thinking that if we get these things that we want then our lives will be better, we’ll be happier and our problems will disappear (or at least won’t seem as big). I’m not saying this is the case with all things–if you want a better marriage and it happens then that really will be better for you and your spouse or if you want to be healthier and you start working our and eating healthy your life from a health standpoint will be better. But what about those other things we want, those things that are more selfish.

Sometimes God, in His graciousness and kindness and love, will give us what we want and what we ask for. Jesus tells us in Luke 11:13 that God wants to give His children good gifts and just a few verses before that He tells us that God wants us to ask for things. God is a good God and treats us better than we could ever deserve, so some times He will give us what we want and it will be a huge blessing to us.

Other times God, in His wrath, will give us what we want and what we ask for. There are times in our lives that we desire things that aren’t good for us. Despite God’s warnings we can become so consumed with materialism, lust, pride, and envy that what we want isn’t what’s best for us. Those feelings and temptations can become so powerful that we no longer care about God’s warnings and all we focus on and desire is that thing, whatever it may be.

This happens to the Israelites in Numbers 11. In this chapter, the Israelites are complaining because all they’re eating while they’re in the wilderness is manna (which God is graciously sending down from Heaven). But they don’t want any more manna, they want meat just like they used to get in Egypt. So Moses, who is completely frustrated by them, goes to God in prayer and asks God what he should do. God responds by saying this in Numbers 11:18-20, “Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat. You shall not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, but a whole month…” So God says, “OK you want meat, I’ll give you meat, and I’ll give you so much that you’ll be eating on it for a month straight.” The next day God miraculously caused several quails to come to Israel’s camp. There were so many that the Bible says the people were up for two entire days gathering the quails!

God then does something that at first seems crazy and maybe even cruel. Verse 33 says while the people were eating “the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck down the people with a very great plague.” So God sends quail, the people gather the quail, they begin eating the quail, and then God strikes them dead with a plague! Why would God do this?

To find that answer I think we have to look closer at what happened when God sent the quails. It says after the Israelites gathered the quails all the people laid them out in front of them to marvel at what they had gathered–acting as if they were responsible for catching them! God gives the people exactly what they want and they take it overboard, losing all self-control, and gather quails for two straight days–and then act like they made it happen! It is this over-indulgent, ungrateful, lustful attitude that got them killed. They desired eating meat so much that once they finally had the opportunity they forgot all about God and His provision, and were focused more on the gift rather than the Giver.

I think there’s a lot for us to learn from the Israelites here. First, we should be careful what we wish for. We should be careful and mindful of our desires. Are they godly desires? Is what we want in life something God would approve of? This won’t always be the case because we struggle with sin, so there will be times that our desires are sinful and from the flesh. But just because it’s a struggle doesn’t mean we don’t have any control over it. This is why prayer is so important. It’s through prayer and studying scripture (among other things) that God makes us more like Him. The more we submit ourselves to God, the more our sinful desires won’t seem so appealing. So check yourself regularly and ask yourself, “What do I most desire in life right now?” And then check that against scripture and bring it to the Lord in prayer asking Him to reveal if it’s something sinful.

Second, our ultimate satisfaction comes from Jesus. If we think getting whatever we want in this world will bring us happiness, we’re absolutely wrong! Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” This verse is saying that if we find our delight in Jesus then He is going to give us the desires of our heart. True joy, fulfillment, and satisfaction in life only comes from Jesus! It starts with us finding our delight in Jesus. We have to truly believe that Jesus is better than anything else in this world. Until we believe this, we will always struggle with wanting other things over and beyond Him. Not believing this will also lead to more hurt, disappointment, and frustrations in life. Once we believe this and seek fully after Jesus, our desires will change to be more like His, and then as it says He will give us those desires–meaning when we delight ourselves in Jesus, we’ll get what we want!

Lastly, this teaches us to worship the Giver not the gifts. God will give us good gifts, and some of those gifts are really awesome! But when we worship those gifts they become idols and harmful to us. Praise God for the good gifts that He gives us. And just as important praise God for the things He doesn’t give us, because He may just be protecting us from something harmful.

Waiting for God

I’ve been reading through Numbers in my personal/devotional time with God and I just finished chapter nine. In this chapter the Israelites are camped out at Sinai and they just celebrated the Passover. Starting in verse 15 we’re told that a cloud was covering the tabernacle during the day and it would look like fire at night. While the cloud was covering the tabernacle the people would stay where they were. Once the cloud moved, then they would move. We’re told that sometimes the cloud would remain for a day or two, and sometimes it would remain for several weeks. No matter how long the cloud would stay the Israelites were not moving forward without it (God) moving first.

What we see in this passage is the importance of waiting for God. The Israelites let God lead them through the wilderness. They didn’t try to jump ahead or take shortcuts to get to where they wanted to go. They waited on God. No matter how long it took, they waited.

This is such a difficult thing to do! It’s hard for us, especially in this fast-paced culture we live in, to be patient and wait. We want decisions to be made quickly. We want to move up the ladder quickly. We want a better job, to be married, kids, better house, etc. and we want it now! But living that way won’t end well. It will lead to bad decisions and suffering consequences from those bad decisions for who knows how long. It is so much better for us to wait on God.

We hear all the time that we just need to “let go and let God.” We say that all the time, but we have a hard time living that out, and honestly we don’t usually mean it. What we really mean is I’ll let go until I feel like God isn’t getting the job done, or He’s not doing what we want, or moving too slowly and that’s when we grab control and do what we want. That’s not letting go, that’s not waiting, that’s not trusting.

God’s plan is better than ours and He knows what’s best for us. But we won’t ever realize that until we start to wait for Him. It can be easy for us to look at this passage and say, “Well if I had a cloud around me directing my every step, then of course I would wait on God like the Israelites.” That’s foolish on our part to think that way because we have something way better than a cloud. We have the Holy Spirit and God’s Word to guide us. We have a direct line of communication with God and can talk to Him about our needs at any point! John 16:13 says that the Holy Spirit will “guide you into all truth.” 1 Corinthians 2 tells us that the Holy Spirit knows the thoughts and mind of God, and was sent to impart that wisdom on us so that we can understand what God would have us do. See we have something far better than a cloud! Don’t neglect this incredible gift we have with impatience and presuming upon God. Trust that He has a plan, and that it’s better than ours. I know it can be difficult to wait on God’s timing, but when we do wait and stay patient things are so much better for us.