Posted By: Ryan Moore
Last night as I was reading, I stumbled upon a story in Numbers chapters 13 and 14 that caught my attention like a police siren. I can’t remember the last time I was reading a story like this and literally shot out of my chair in disbelief. I must have heard and read this story a thousand times, but for some reason I was completely taken by surprise. I continued reading, at this point, pacing back and forth in my living room in complete awe of the words that were hitting my eyes.
Let me paint the picture for you, the Israelites are camped in the wilderness waiting to go into the land that God had promised them. They sent in 12 men to check out the countryside and the people that they might have to face. After the 40-day mission, the men returned home with the report that the land before them was, in fact, flowing with milk, honey, and beautiful fruit that they had never tasted! There was fruit so large that the spies had to carry a cluster of grapes between them on a pole. Everything about the land was perfect, however, there was one “giant” problem standing in their way…. The people of this land were literally giants. The spies were afraid of these men and claimed that they felt like grasshoppers in their presence. As word spread throughout the Israelite camp, the people became very afraid and began to complain against the Lord.
When I read about how they were complaining, I went into total shock. They said these words, “Wouldn’t it have been better to die in Egypt? Or perhaps we can appoint a new leader and go back to Egypt? It would be better to be a slave than to face the giants of this land.” ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? That is one of the most ludicrous things I have ever read.
Think about what these people have experienced up to this point, they were slaves in Egypt and God miraculously brought them out through 10 powerful plagues. They then were up against the Red Sea and God opened the waters so that they could walk through ON DRY GROUND! He even fed them bread that miraculously appeared every morning. Those are just a few of the absurd ways in which God bent the rules of this earth in order to protect and provide for His people. Having witnessed all of that, one would think that when the news came that there were giants ahead, the people would’ve just laughed and thought, I can’t wait to see what God does for us on this one. Grab the popcorn and soda, this is gonna be an incredible show! But instead, they gave no thought to the power of the Lord and instead made plans to go back to slavery! When I read that, my mind literally could not comprehend the stupidity of that statement. Who would chose to go back to slavery after having already witnessed so much of God’s provision? At that moment, the Holy Spirit convicted me in a way that brought me to my knees. Through tears of confession and repentance I realized and remembered the countless times I have said and thought the same things in my heart. I thought about the daily miracles that God has done in my life and how many times I have faced a giant and ran, in fear, back to slavery.
How is it that when I hear news of a giant in my life, my first reaction is to run? How pathetic is that? I have witnessed God do incredible miracles in my life, I have seen cancer defeated, medical bills vanish, jobs open up, and least I forget, salvation come to my heart. How many of us can look back at our wilderness journey and see more miracles than we could even count. If you just pause for thirty seconds, I guarantee, you could think of so many instances where God has provided for you and your family.
If you're reading this and thinking of the giants in between you and the land that God has promised you, my guarantee to you is this; God is faithful. He will ALWAYS come through. He has taken you this far, He has parted waters, provided food, and given you direction. He will not abandon you at the feet of your giants. Do not allow the fear of the future to outweigh your trust in God’s past faithfulness. Fear can stand higher than any obstacle we have ever faced, squeeze the breath from our lungs, and control the very actions of our life. But I know a God who spoke the world into existence, knows over two billion stars by name, heals cancer, and can calm raging seas. So I challenge you, do not allow the fear of your giants to shrink your faith in God. He is bigger than anything we will ever face and His power is greater than anything we have ever seen.