Happy New Year My Chickadees!
As I embrace another year, I approach it with gratitude for God’s grace and mercy. That being said, I am still a little flustered that we are still wandering around in this pandemic. When I reflect upon our current state of being, I am struck by how our circumstances and plight are eerily similar to the Israelites wandering around in the desert for 40 years—instead of God’s intended 40 days—because of their disobedience and lack of trust. God had a plan; He always does! His plan is always for our good and His glory, but some of us are just like our spiritual ancestors who want to follow our way instead of The Way.
We all prayed for a cure of the COVID 19 virus, and the scientific community was in awe when a vaccine was made ready and available so quickly. What some felt skeptical about, those of us who are believers in the power of prayer and the faithfulness of God to hear our calls and answer our prayers, saw it as a miracle. It reminded me of another plague that broke out among the people of God. The answer to their prayer for a cure was to look upon a snake lifted up on a bronze pole. Yes, it was unconventional, but so is our God.
Here’s the back story from Chapters 13 and 14 of the Book of Numbers, which include my ‘cliff notes’ and analogy. You are free to read between the lines.
God told the Israelites He was going to give them Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey. Following God’s instructions, Moses and Aaron sent 12 men (one leader from each tribe) to scout out the land they were to possess. Despite what God said He would do, two opposing positions emerged from their report—one rooted in fear and the other in faith.
The ‘moral majority’ made a judgement based on what they saw when they surveyed the land and fear gripped their hearts. Their fear spread like a cancer through the Israelite camp. It didn’t matter that Caleb, a man of faith, tried to encourage them by saying, “Let’s go at once to take the land,” (probably before they had time to think about it). “We can certainly conquer it.” (Numbers 13:7) I guess his position was, God said it, that settles it, let’s go! But as the people reasoned in their hearts, they disregarded what God said, “Send men to explore the land of Canaan, the land I am giving to Israel.”
Having heard the ‘Fox News report of doom and gloom,’ the Israelites began crying and wailing. They had the audacity to say they wanted to go back to Egypt. How quickly did they forget that this was the place where they had been enslaved and subsequently freed from the Egyptians. Because they did not trust God’s promise, they planned a ‘January 6 insurrection.’ Because God is who He is, He got a little pissed off and told Moses, “None of you who are 20 years old or older and were counted in the census will enter the land I swore to give you. The only exception will be Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.”
God, who is long-suffering but also a God of justice, pronounced that they would wander in the wilderness for 40 years (one year for each day the men explored the land); and death to the 10 men who incited the insurrection. In fact, because the Israelites continued to complain and didn’t learn their lesson from the other times they grumbled and complained against God and Moses, “God sent poisonous snakes among them, and many of them were bitten and died.” (Numbers 21:6)
Now to their credit, every time they found themselves facing the negative, catastrophic consequences of their rebellion, they humbled themselves, repented and prayed. Then God—who is faithful to forgive—granted grace, mercy and a cure. Today as we deal with the pandemic, we must also repent and accept God’s open invitation for forgiveness. 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
As we approach another year of pandemics—racism, sexism, violence, disregard for the rights of others, human life and nature, and COVID and all of its mutations—we need a God who can save us from ourselves. For a nation that professes, “In God we trust,” I have to ask, do we really? My New Year’s prayer is that the pandemics we find ourselves in do not blind us from finding our way back to God. He is waiting for us to call His name, humble ourselves, pray, seek His face and turn from the ways that have led us so far off course.
My chickadees, remember that we are the light in a world shrouded in darkness. We are called and commissioned to be light and salt in a dying world. Matthew 5:15 instructs us, “Don’t hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all.” Be the light that shines through the darkness so that what’s next is a world ready and waiting for the true light to guide us all back home.
Peace and blessings,
Gail
Hold on My Chickadees. “Good Morning My Chickadees, Messages from Mom” is at the publishers. Stay tuned!
