The Israelites had a problem. It was a trust problem. They didn’t trust God to come through on His promises. For every problem they encountered, they verbally attacked Moses and complained to him for taking them out of Egypt. Egypt: it wasn’t the land of promise. It wasn’t home. The nation had entered Egypt back when Joseph had been sold there as a slave (by his own brothers!)  and then become the 2nd most powerful man in the country. A famine came and his brothers came to Egypt to buy grain. Eventually, the family moved there and were given land all to themselves. The Pharaoh of that day dies and a new guy is on the throne and notices just how many Israelites there are and become afraid that they will become mightier than Egypt and take the country away from him so he makes them all slaves. Yet even as slaves, God blesses the nation and they multiply, fulfilling the promise He made to Abraham that Abraham would be a father of many and his descendants would be more numerous than the stars. God eventually sends Moses to take them out of Egypt using 12 plagues. After they leave, Pharaoh decides to pursue them and bring them back. God again miraculously saves them as they walk across the Red Sea on dry ground and the Egyptian army is destroyed as the water close back over them. But that’s not all of God’s “signs” that he performed for the people. When they wanted meat in the wilderness, God sent them quail in large numbers. He gave them manna every morning. When they needed water, He provided water from a rock. Not to mention that there was a cloud of God’s glory that led them in the day and a pillar of fire by night.

Now, in Number 14, the Israelites are ready to cross over and enter Canaan – the land promised to Abraham. The time had come. God had already promised them the land. It was theirs. All they had to do was take possession and trust that God had a plan. Instead, they send 12 spies to investigate and the report that they brought back included words like “giants in the land” and “we are as grasshoppers in their sight.” The people took their eyes of God and saw a problem they could not overcome. They were afraid. They didn’t trust God’s plan. They decide they are going to select a new leader and return to Egypt instead of taking the land God promised them. They were going to go back to slavery rather than live in freedom. That decision prompts God to ask, “How long will these people reject Me?”

When I look around the world today, I wonder if God is asking that question of our nations today. Our nations are much like the Israelites. We’d rather live in the slavery of sin than to live in the freedom of salvation. America and the other nations around the world would do well to  consider God’s words that follow this question.  God says that He would strike them with pestilence and disinherit them. We can only reject God for so long before God says, “enough is enough” and judgement is rendered.

Moses is often seen interceding on behalf the Israelites and as a result, Moses changes God’s mind. Today, its time for Christians around the world to intercede on behalf of their nation. It’s past time for us to pray for a revival and a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It’s time for us to realize that revival begins inside of each one of us. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

Lord, we humble ourselves before you today, praying, and seeking your face with a desire to turn from our wicked ways. We pray that you will hear us from heaven, forgive our sin, and heal our land. Send a revival, let and let it begin in me.

 

God, Love and Marshmallow Wars: This book contains 365 daily challenges for couples to strengthen their relationships to each other and with God. Couples will complete activities such as Scripture memory, conversation starters, relationship builders, learning about Biblical marriage, romance builders, personal reflections, and date ideas. Click here to purchase your copy. (This link will open a new widow and take you to Westbow Press’ bookstore.) Also available on Amazon and Barnes & Nobel. It is also available at Christian Book Distributors, Amazon, and Barnes & Nobel

 

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