– Following God Wholeheartedly
BRD REFLECTIONS:
Numbers 32 and Psalm 114 (NIV)
(Esther Low, Secretary, Mandarin Ministry)
READ:
Numbers 32 and Psalm 114 (NIV)
OBSERVE:
In Numbers 32, the Reubenites and Gadites saw that the lands of Jaber and Gilead were suitable for their livestock and desired to settle there instead of in the Promised Land.
- v6-13: Examples about following and not following God wholeheartedly:
- Except for Caleb and Joshua, leaders from the other ancestral tribes discouraged the Israelites from entering the Promised Land.
- The Lord’s anger burned against Israel and He made them wander in the desert for forty years, until the whole generation of those who had done evil in His sight was gone.
- Only Caleb and Joshua saw the land God promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
- v14-15: A warning not to turn away from following God and make the Lord even more angry with Israel
Psalm 114 reminds me of our all-powerful God and the Israelites’ Exodus: their crossing of the Red Sea and the Jordan. I also observe that all of God’s creation – sea, rivers, mountains and hills fear Him. Nevertheless, our all-powerful, loving and gracious God will always be there to calm our chaotic situations and give us peace.
APPLY:
While God may lead us step by step as He reveals His plan for us, we usually cannot see the final wonderful and perfect outcome because the steps may seem tough in our eyes, just like crossing the Jordan to take the land from the Canaanites.
Along the way, we may encounter opportunities where the “gains” are almost immediate, just like the lands of Jaber and Gilead which were suitable for the Reubenites’ and Gadites’ livestock.
We need to be patient as God leads the way, even though the journey may be tough. We should not be discouraged and be tempted by short-term gains.
DO:
I need to spend time in prayer, seeking God’s guidance in my decisions. I need to trust that God’s plan is always better, for His ways and thoughts are higher than mine. I need to be obedient and wholeheartedly follow Him, waiting on Him to experience the final perfect outcome He has willed for me.
PRAY:
Dear Heavenly Father, indeed You are all-powerful, majestic, faithful and worthy of my trust. Father God, I pray that You continue to protect my heart, mind and actions. Let me not be tempted by short-term “gains” but to wholeheartedly follow your Will for me. Father God, I continue to pray for peace and calm during chaotic situations. In Jesus’s Name, Amen!
