So I spoke this past Sunday on finding God in the midst of chaos in our lives. It is a topic that I feel very qualified to preach. It seems that there is always some type of conflict or adversity that our family is running into. My heart resonates with Mother Teresa when she shared, "I know the Lord doesn't give us more than we can handle. I just wish He didn't trust me so much."
Reading through the book of Numbers in the old testament I came across a passage where Moses just PUTS IT OUT THERE to God. Not sure why reading it it makes me uncomfortable. Maybe it is because I feel, at times, I really can't be THAT honest with God, can I? But Moses does and he holds nothing back.
Moses said to God, "Why are you treating me this way? What did I ever do to you to deserve this? Did I conceive them? Was I their mother? So why dump the responsibility of this people on me? Why tell me to carry them around like a nursing mother, carry them all the way to the land you promised to their ancestors? Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people who are whining to me, 'Give us meat; we want meat.' I can't do this by myself—it's too much, all these people. If this is how you intend to treat me, do me a favor and kill me. I've seen enough; I've had enough. Let me out of here."
Moses has been holding the frustration of leading the Israelites and they were, apparently, a whiney group of people. And when God puts it out there to God, God responds with two things. One, he tells Moses to bring 70 people back with him and God will put the burden on their shoulders as well as Moses did not have to carry it alone. Secondly, God asks Moses the following question:
"The LORD answered Moses, 'Is the LORD's arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you.'"
What a beautiful question. God is saying, "Do you really think that you are so far away from me that I can't hold you where you are at right now?"
We forget that sometimes, huh? We get caught in our circumstances. We try to drive the car when, in reality, we were never called to control, simply to follow and trust.
So my prayer to each of you reading this now is that you would be held by the arms of God who is still very much in control of your life.
God is good all the time and all the time... God is GOOD!
