- araratchurch
- Aug 31, 2022
- 3 min read
40 Days in the Wilderness
Day 20: Don’t panic“When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt. So it shall be, when you are on the verge of battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people. And he shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel: Today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies. Do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them; for the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’”
Deuteronomy 20:1-4 NKJV
Years ago, someone gave me a book on survival (you know who you are). It describes scenarios you probably never expect yourself to be in and tells you what to do about it. Among the many scenarios it describes are fending off an attacking shark, escaping an angry bear, getting out of quicksand, and so on. There’s even a section on what to do if lost in the desert. You will not be surprised to hear that the first step toward survival in the desert is to not panic. You will also not be surprised to hear me say that averting panic is easier said than done.
Panic is the result of intense fear combined with a sense of impending doom with no way of escape. It’s a terrible feeling of hopelessness and helplessness. And yes, panic makes an already bad situation, worse!
Aron Ralston was climbing a canyon in Utah alone. While sliding down the canyon face, a boulder came loose and trapped his hand. There was no way to escape this dire situation and nobody even knew where he was. Eventually, on his sixth day of struggling to survive, he used a multitool to amputate his own hand. He then had to scale down a 65 foot rock wall with one hand to get to where he could find help. He was found and rescued six hours later. If he had panicked, he would have lost more than his hand.
Jesus, in talking about the Last Days, warned that we should not panic.
“Jesus replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately.”
Mark 13:5-7 NLT
The pressure we are now experiencing could easily cause those who have no hope to panic and be destroyed. Think about what we saw during the height of the pandemic. People were doing irrational things like filling rooms with toilet paper and hand sanitizer. In fact, it was panic that led to so many of the shortages. Additionally, I saw a number of videos of people getting into fist fights over the fact that one of them was not wearing a mask in a public place. To me, scarier than the virus, was the panicked response seen in so many people.
Today we find Moses, shortly before his death, reflecting back over the wilderness days. In his instructions to the people who would now have to possibly fight to possess their inheritance, He warns them to not panic, “for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” Indeed, he had learned firsthand that true dependence and trust on the Lord, not only averts panic, but also brings victory.
I don’t know what you’re facing today; and I certainly can relate to the tendency to panic. But understand, we should not be numbered among those who panic, having no hope. Rather, we should remember that the word of God is true and that He will be with us. By the grace of God, we won’t have to cut off a hand to survive. But—whatever the situation requires—the Lord will Help us do it.
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:13 NKJV
For today write this in your “wilderness journal”:
Don’t panic.
- araratchurch
- Aug 30, 2022
- 3 min read
“Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not journey till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was above the tabernacle by day, and fire was over it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.”
Exodus 40:36-38 NKJV
In terms of attitude toward change, I have observed that people generally fall into one of three different categories.
First, there are the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” people. Full disclosure: I fall in this category. I am definitely not a “latest and greatest” oriented person. I like sameness, consistency, and yes, at times, I have tended to be compulsive toward that end. People who fall into this category tend to err in the direction of staying with something when its time is over. The favorite scripture for this group is:
“For I am the Lord, I do not change;”
Malachi 3:6a NKJV
Secondly, there are people who never seem content unless things are constantly changing or they are constantly doing something different. They definitely are more oriented toward a “what’s the newest thing going on?” philosophy. Those who fall into this category often will make change just for change’s sake, and can do so impulsively. For these people, the tendency to err is in the direction of making a move they never should’ve made, or doing something they never should’ve done, or buying something they never should’ve bought, and so on, just because they wanted a change. For these folks, the favorite scripture is:
“Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it?”
Isaiah 43:19a NKJV
The third group of people consists of those who are content with the way things are, but are also open to change, when it is needed. You might say these people are more flexible. They are rarely impulsive, but are also not reticent to change, when warranted. Because these people don’t base their actions on either the need for sameness no matter what, or the need for change no matter what, there’s rarely big mistakes to have to clean up or trouble resulting from sticking with something when its time was over. This group would like this scripture:
“Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it;”
Isaiah 30:21a NKJV
OK, I’m sure you realize my reference to the “favorite scriptures” for these groups is tongue-in-cheek. So what is my point?
In reading the rest of each of those scriptures you will find that the Lord is the same concerning His word/covenant/promises.
“For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.”
Malachi 3:6 NKJV
At the same time, the Lord can meet the requirements of any circumstance and do what has never been seen before.
“Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.”
Isaiah 43:19 NKJV
Additionally, He enables us to remain when we need to remain, or move when we need to move (and in what direction!) by the voice of His Holy Spirit.
“Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.”
Isaiah 30:21 NKJV
Today we see explanation concerning the movement of the children of Israel over their 40 years in the wilderness.
When they were directed to move, by the moving of the cloud, they moved. When they were directed to stay, by the hovering of the cloud, they stayed. We receive further insight into this behavior In the book of Numbers.
“Whether it was two days, a month, or a year that the cloud remained above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would remain encamped and not journey; but when it was taken up, they would journey. At the command of the Lord they remained encamped, and at the command of the Lord they journeyed; they kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by the hand of Moses.”
Numbers 9:22-23 NKJV
Our peace is not dependent on whether things are staying the same, or whether things are always changing; our peace is dependent upon following the leading of the Holy Spirit. God knows what you need to do and when you need to do it. We should not be driven by impulse nor paralyzed by fear. Rather, as the children of Israel did in their 40 year journey, we must look to the Lord for whether we stay or go, whether we change or remain the same.
For today write this in your “wilderness journal”:
Move with the cloud.
- araratchurch
- Aug 28, 2022
- 2 min read
40 Days in the Wilderness
Day 18: Obedience to the Lord creates
“Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.”
Exodus 40:34-35 NKJV
I mentioned before that I had a great uncle who had many bluebirds on his property. This was not a happy coincidence. Rather, it was because he built birdhouses that would attract them. If you decide that you want to have bluebirds in your yard, you don’t just put up any kind of a birdhouse or potential nest.
In the 1960s, Dick Peterson noticed that the local population of bluebirds was diminishing due to the deforesting of the surrounding area. Through research, he developed what came to be known as the “Peterson” nesting box. Chances are, if you’ve seen a bluebird house, you’ve seen what his design looks like. The use of these boxes is credited with having increased the population of bluebirds in Minnesota as well as other areas. You give bluebirds what they want and they will come. In fact, most creatures (including us!) have definite preferences in terms of habitation.
Now, the Lord may be different from us in many ways, but the tendency to inhabit a particular type of environment is not one of them.
“But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!””
Luke 11:28 NKJV
The Lord blesses those who keep His word; and one of those blessings is that He will live in us.
“Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.”
John 14:23 NKJV
Today we see that the lord entered the tabernacle when Moses had completed it. As we have discussed before, the Lord gave Moses elaborate instructions as to how the tabernacle was to be built; and he followed them meticulously. Additionally, you will find that when Solomon built the temple for the Lord, it was done according to the Lord’s own detailed instructions given to David. And, if you are familiar with that story, you know that when the temple was dedicated, God’s presence entered in.
“When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.”
II Chronicles 7:1 NKJV
The Lord wants to dwell in us and has made the way for us to receive His precious Holy Spirit. But make no mistake, if we have no desire to be obedient to Him, we cannot expect that He will dwell in us.
Don’t allow the stress of a wilderness experience to cause you to be disobedient, creating a hostile environment for the Lord.
For today write this in your “wilderness journal”:
Obedience to the Lord creates a house He will inhabit.