Day 32 with Moses: Signs and wonders don’t change people; faith in God’s word does.

“And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, “Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me!””

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭17:3-4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

I think that one of the saddest things I have seen over the years is when people who have been greatly blessed by God’s miracle working power still fail to believe. Inevitably, in these cases, I have seen a temporary boost in the person’s “positivity” toward the Lord, but true faith never developed. Soon, all their “zeal” would subside as they again walked in their own lusts. They only “remembered” the Lord when they needed another miracle.

I know of a young man who narrowly escaped death when a horse fell over on him. The Lord not only kept the horse from crushing him, but answered a cry to stop the blood gushing from an ear nearly torn off his head. At first he had an emotional testimony; he seemed to be thoroughly convinced to surrender his life completely to the Lord. And then, he wasn’t. His old ways barely skipped a beat.

I know that the telling of a story like that may come across as sounding cynical; but that is not my heart. What you should hear is recognition of the tragedy of such a missed opportunity to live the rest of your life for the glory of God.

Signs and wonders are an important part of God’s interaction with men. But we must note that signs and wonders are primarily meant to follow those who believe for the purpose of confirming the word. Look at the words of Jesus as he commissioned his disciples:

“And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭16:15-18, 20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Certainly, signs and wonders are also meant to offer an opportunity for people to believe the word they have heard. But, if they will not believe the word, the signs and wonders they experience will turn around and become their accuser.

“If you will not believe, Surely you shall not be established.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭7:9‬b NKJV‬‬

A person who will not believe will never be stable.

“But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

‭‭James‬ ‭1:6-8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

A person who continues in unbelief—or returns to their doubt—in spite of all they’ve seen, is on a collision course with disaster.

Today we find Moses again dealing with the multitude’s unbelief concerning God’s ability to sustain them. This example of a pattern of unbelief is used by the Apostle Paul in his admonition to the Corinthians:

“nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.”

‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭10:9-10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The writer of Hebrews offers this warning:

“Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, while it is said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭3:12-19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

As noted earlier, signs and wonders offer the opportunity to believe the word of God. Indeed, our faith in the Lord may be rewarded with signs and wonders. But signs and wonders will not produce faith in a heart determinedly set against obedience to the Lord.

Sadly, signs and wonders may serve as only a temporary life raft for the person sinking into unbelief. But, if that person never learns to swim (believing and obeying the word of God), eventually they will encounter a big enough storm that the life raft is pulled from them; and they perish.

For today let us discover what Moses discovered:

Signs and wonders don’t change people; faith in God’s word does.

#40dayswithmoses