Trust

This week I am working on a sermon from Deuteronomy 1. It’s about the 12 spies who explored the Land of Canaan. They found the land to be wonderful, but 10 of the 12 also saw things that scared them. There were big cities and big people!

"There is no way we can occupy this land!"

Those 10 men had a short memory. They looked at the obstacles and quickly forgot the promise of God. They forgot what God had done recently. Even with reminders, they could not grasp what God did or could do.

Deuteronomy 1:30-32 — The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the desert. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place. In spite of this, you did not trust in the LORD your God. . .

It’s a tragic story. The bright spot in the story belongs to the 2 faithful spies, Joshua and Caleb. They remember, and they have faith in who God is and what he has done and will do.

There is a constant battle between the promises of God and perception of danger which brings fear. One is based on your ability, and the other is trusting in God’s. We choose one or the other.

I will have to make that choice again today. Lord, help me to trust in you and not me.