Mom Heart Moments #80

“We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large.” . . . Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it.”

WHEN THE ISRAELITES WERE going from Egypt to the Promised Land, twelve spies were sent out to see what the land was like. They did indeed find it to be a great land with fruit and cultivated pastures. Yet they also saw that there were giants in the land, and so they became “like grasshoppers” (Numbers 13:33) in their own sight.

Instead of focusing on God’s provision and His ability to open the doors to this land, ten of the men focused on their fears and what seemed like impossibility. Joshua and Caleb were the only ones who reported back to the people that God would surely help them to overcome it.

The Israelites chose to listen to the voice of discouragement. They grumbled and complained and even wanted to appoint a leader who would take them back to Egypt —the land where they had been slaves! Because of their grumbling and whining spirits, God condemned them to forty years in the desert —a year for every day the men had spied out the good land and had chosen not to believe.

There will always be giants in our lands too. There will always be things threatening to overwhelm us. We have to make a choice to believe in God’s ability to provide, or life will demoralize us and we will instead model for our children an attitude of complaining and grumbling.

When you look at your life circumstances, do you see God’s provision, or all the obstacles in your way? How might a change in perspective change your life?