Trust God Enough

"But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,

'Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites,

you will not bring this community into the land I give them.'"

Numbers 20:12

They had been there before and would probably be there again.  When they were slaves in Egypt, treated unfairly and beaten on a regular basis, they cried out to the Lord for salvation.  When God delivered them from bondage, setting them free from the cruel hand of the Egyptian taskmasters, they rejoiced for a time, that is until things didn't seem to be going the way they imagined they would go.  

As soon as the going got tough, the Israelites got to whining.  "We would have been better off if we been struck down with Korah's rebels! (Numbers 16)  At least they've been delivered from this suffering.  Even Egypt was better than this.  At least there we had grain, figs, grapes and pomegranates.  Out here in the desert, we don't even have water to drink!"  They complained to Moses and Aaron, blaming their leaders for bringing them out into the desert to die.  

Despite their bad attitudes, God heard their cries and instructed Moses to gather the people together and speak to a rock.  As soon as the words came from his mouth, God would bring forth water like a spring, supplying the people with a source of fresh water.  Instead of following God's instructions, however, Moses said, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring water out of this rock?"  In a show of dramatics, Moses then struck the rock twice.  Water gushed out and the people and livestock drank.  (Numbers 20:1-13)

As humble as Moses was, he did not take God's command seriously in this instance.  Out of frustration with the stiff-necked people under his care, he forgot the perfection and holiness of God.  As the Lord pointed out, Moses did not trust God enough to take Him at His word, instead trying to do things the way he thought was best.  Instead of doing it God's way, Moses obeyed using his own way, which is no obedience at all.

As clear as this rebellious spirit may be to me as I read the account of this event, I may not realize that I am often guilty of the same.

My Credit

I work hard, try to do the right thing and do my best to take good care of myself.  When things go well, then, it's easy for me to take credit for my promotion, the impact of a good deed, or a clean bill of health.  After all, I think to myself, I did try pretty hard; shouldn't I enjoy a pat on the back?

In reality, all good things are from the Lord. (James 1:17)  There is nothing good within me that is even capable of bringing about a result that is worthy of praise. (Romans 7:18, Jude 1:24-25)  Therefore, how can I honestly take credit for what God is doing in my life?

When Moses brought the people before the rock at Meribah, he did this very thing by taking credit for the miracle God was about to perform in bringing water out of an ordinary rock.  He said, ". . .must we bring you water out of this rock?" (Numbers 20:10)  Instead of acknowledging God as the source of the life-giving liquid, Moses tried to take credit for creating a new spring.

How often do I do the same?  I may think my financial security is due to my shrewd planning and frugal living. In reality, God gave me the ability to climb to the point where I now find myself, protecting me from ruin so I could enjoy the fruits of His grace and mercy.  

Other times I fool myself into thinking I've dodged the bullet of major health problems through exercise and good nutrition.  If the truth were told, however, my good health has more to do with genetics and God's sovereignty than with my efforts.  

Sometimes I try to take credit for my abilities, thinking it was my dedication and hard work that developed the talent and skills, completely ignoring the fact that God equipped me to do what He called me to accomplish in life.   

Whenever I am tempted to take credit for God's blessings, I would be wise to turn the praise back to the Lord, acknowledging Him in all my ways.  (Proverbs 3:5-6)

My Way

Most people are familiar with the story of Robin Hood who stole from the rich to give to the poor.  This popular medieval folk figure could have adopted the precept that, "The ends justify the means."

While my human reasoning may agree with this principle, God does not.  He is concerned not only with the outcome, but also with the method used.  The way I get from point "A" to point "B" is just as important as the fact that I arrived at the intended destination.

When Moses took matters into his own hands and decided to strike the rock instead of speaking to it as God had instructed, he decided that his way was better than God's.  He may have thought,  as long as the people are supplied with water, does it matter how I brought it about? (Numbers 20:11)

God's focus is consistently on the heart of His people.  When I insist on tweaking the method to fit my vision, I am betraying a lack of trust in God's approach.  Instead of trusting God enough to buy into His way of doing things, I am essentially telling God that I don't think His plan will work.  God may be gracious enough to bring about the same result despite my disobedience like He did with Moses, but there will be consequences for insisting on using my own method.  

For Moses, this consequence was that he would not be allowed to lead his people into the promised land.  For me, it could be the loss of a certain blessing, or the lack of trust, or a broken relationship.   True obedience pays attention to the means used to reach the intended goal.   

Whenever I am tempted to do things my way, I would be wise to pay attention to both the method as well as the outcome.

My Own Understanding

As a military wife, I came to the conclusion long ago that I would have struggled as a soldier.  There are many times when my husband was ordered to do things that simply did not make sense to me.  I could have come up with a dozen reasons why I would not obey, but my husband dutifully complied, trusting in his chain of command.  

In order to be able to follow orders, a soldier must believe that his commanders have a reason for issuing a certain piece of instruction, even if that reason is not understood or even comprehended.  This is where I struggle.  

I think that it is important for me to understand why I am doing things.  If, for instance, I am asked to dig a hole, I want to know if I'm planting a tree, making a well, or preparing for a burial.  To my mind, it makes a difference.

This kind of desire gets me in trouble when it comes to the Lord.  His ways are higher than my ways, and His thoughts exist in the stratosphere while mine are down in the weeds.  (Isaiah 55:8-9) Therefore, I cannot assume to be able understand why God is asking me to wait, expecting me to love those who hurt me, or humble myself to the point of a servant.  In my mind, it may make more sense if I got what I needed now, if I dished out what was given to me, or if I stood up for my rights.  Instead of doing what makes sense to me, however, I must trust God enough to believe He has a plan of which I know nothing.

Moses made the mistake of not holding God up before the people of Israel as One who is holy and whose ways are too profound to comprehend. (Numbers 20:12)  He did not demonstrate how to obey God implicitly without question.  Instead, he showed his people that God didn't always know what He was doing and that sometimes one needed to kick things up a notch.  It's no wonder that God took away the privilege for Moses to enter into the promised land.  I had better pay attention to the lesson found in Moses' error.

Whenever I am tempted to only obey when I agree or understand, I would be wise to submit to God's unfathomable ways.

I can say that I trust God all day long, but until I prove it by giving Him all the credit for the good in my life, choosing His way over mine, and obeying Him even if I don't understand what He is doing, my faith is not real.  This day, then, I want to take the lesson of Moses to heart and trust God enough to obey Him wholeheartedly.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can prove my faith in God by how seriously I take His commands.

When do I insist on knowing all the details before I'll commit to God's calling?

How do I try to take credit for the good God has given to me?