When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.” [Exodus 32:1 (NLT)]
Moses had been absent for thirty-nine days receiving the law from God when the people grew restless and impatient. In spite of freeing them from Egypt and parting the Red Sea, this God of Moses didn’t seem to be one of action. Although they were safe, rested and well fed, the people were tired of waiting for Moses to return. People may even have doubted that Moses would ever return and they despaired of ever getting to the Promised Land. Wanting to make things happen at their own pace, the Israelites decided to make some new gods to lead them; they gave up just one day too soon!
Like the Israelites, it’s easy to lose faith when things don’t move along as we hope. We’ve had our lake house for sale for several years and have faithfully prayed for a buyer. Before putting it on the market, we asked God’s direction and we have no doubt that selling this house is His plan for us. “We did our part, so where is the buyer?” I ask Him. “All in due time,” seems to be His answer. Like the Israelites, I’m about to give up hope; and, like them, I want to move on.
I need to remember that what seems like a delay on God’s part is really just my unrealistic expectations concerning His plan. The Israelites expected Moses to return in a few days’ time and I expected a buyer to appear within the first month, or at least the first year. The Israelites were safely camped so there really was no urgency and yet they despaired. We’ve enjoyed several more summers watching the grands catch fireflies, make s’mores, ride in the tube, catch crappies and play in the lake. So, why should I despair? Instead of despairing, I should take advantage of this gift of extra time with family and friends at the lake. The Israelites were unwilling to submit their timetable to God and I’m no different. God, however, does not run the world on my timetable. The economy is not going to improve nor are banks going to change their policy regarding financing for second homes just for my convenience. The Israelites were big on grumbling and so am I. Another spring has rolled around and I know that, once we return north, we’ll have to clean the house, wash the windows and decks, get out the patio furniture and do a whole list of other chores. Instead of grumbling, perhaps I should learn to rejoice in having the privilege of owning this house.
Father, forgive us when we want what we want right now. Replace our despair with hope, our impatience with patience, our worry with trust, our doubt with confidence and our grumbling with joy. Help us accept that, whether we like it or not, your timing is always perfect.
It’s a matter of perspective. When in Egypt, the Israelites hated being slaves to their cruel masters yet, every time they faced danger or difficulty, they longed to return there. This past March, my Florida friends wore gloves, jackets, and hats and complained of the cold when the temperature fell to 60 degrees. That same month, we were in the mountains of Colorado. When it got to 60 degrees there, off came the hats, gloves and jackets and people ate outside! Yesterday, my mother-in-law commented on the unseasonable heat in Illinois—it was 80 degrees! On the other hand, when it only got to 80 here in Florida, the weatherman called it “unseasonably cool.” It’s a matter of perspective.
Today is the National Day of Prayer. Back in 1952, during the Korean War, the Reverend Billy Graham challenged our nation’s leaders with these words: “What a thrilling, glorious thing it would be to see the leaders of our country today kneeling before Almighty God in prayer. What a thrill would sweep this country. What renewed hope and courage would grip the Americans at this hour of peril.” In response, members of the House and Senate introduced a joint resolution for an annual National Day of Prayer, “on which the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups, and as individuals.” President Truman signed a bill proclaiming that a National Day of Prayer must be declared by each subsequent president at an appropriate date of his choice. In 1988, the law was amended and the first Thursday in May was designated as our National Day of Prayer. The day’s purpose is to unite people of all religions in prayer and to renew respect for God throughout the world. This being the United States, the constitutionality of this law has been challenged several times. Fortunately, the challenges have been unsuccessful—chalk one up for the good guys!
Yesterday, I wrote about unfounded fears. Although I’m a bit of a nervous flyer, I’d rather travel than stay home, so I pray and fly. While I’m a little nervous about heights, I’d rather ride than hike up the mountain, so I pray and ride the lifts. Since my little Ziggy-like guy can easily capture my irrational fears, they rarely plague me. It’s not fear of external things like plane crashes or gondola accidents, however, that disturb me. Instead, it’s the fear that happens when I focus on me instead of God. Will I be wounded, bothered, abandoned or tested? What if I don’t succeed, reach my goal, or make a good impression? Will I be welcome? What if I make a mistake?
Bad things happen, unforeseen events occur, and every one of us will eventually become a fatality statistic of some kind. A certain amount of fear or caution is wise in our unpredictable world. Most of us, however, are rather selective in our fears. We obsess over things about which we have little or no control and ignore those things over which we do. We don’t want to give up control to the pilot when the odds of dying in a plane crash are 1 in 11 million but trust our driving when the odds of a fatal car crash are 1 in 5 thousand! While we are far more likely to die of heart disease (1 in 6), we tend to obsess about things like dying in a terrorist attack (1 in 20 million). In actuality, we are fourteen times more likely to die in our bathtubs and twenty-five times more likely to die by choking on our food than in a terrorist attack, but we prefer not to think about that while bathing or eating.
Today, I thought again about that handful of dirt in the farmer’s hand and remembered the creation story. God scooped up a handful of soil, breathed life into it and made man. I don’t care whether the words are figurative or literal or if they support the creationist or evolutionary points of view. All I know is that God made something out of nothing then and continues to do so now!
Devotions of the Heart 