But his fellow scouts said, We are not able to go up against the people of Canaan, for they are stronger than we are. So they brought the Israelites an evil report of the land which they had scouted out, saying, The land through which we went to spy is a land that devours its inhabitants. And all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature. There we saw the Nephilim, or giants, the sons of Anak, who come from the giants; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight (Numbers 13: 31–33 AMP).
You know the story. Moses leads the people of Israel from Egypt and brings them to the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey, a land of promise. So, they send some scouts in to check things out. Of the twelve scouts, only two, Joshua and Caleb, give a positive report. The other ten respond as you read above.
Every time I read this, I always say to myself, what a bunch of ninnies those ten were! How could they not believe God would help them defeat all their enemies? I mean, God already promised over and over to give them the land, and He’d already performed countless miracles for them. Come on, Israelites!
But then God put me in my place in His gentle, quiet way. He simply said, “Don’t you do the same thing with your problems?” Ouch. Yes. I do. All the time. Whenever something bad happens, or a situation develops that seems impossible, I automatically start to worry. Yes, I pray. I’ve at least grown that much in my walk. But after the prayer, I worry. How is God going to do this? The problem is so big. It’s massive. Impossible! There seems to be no way out. You know the type of problems I’m referring to. Problems like a lost loved one who is drifting further and further away from God, a lost job with no prospects in sight, overwhelming financial problems, ill health with no cure, a broken relationship that seems irreparable. Whatever it is, my response is to worry. I pray, let it go, but then I worry again. I feel like there’s a massive tidal wave striking the ship and Jesus is at the helm, shouting: “Hold on, it’s going to get rough, but trust Me!”
Then I read something in a devotional the other day.
“Whatever occupies your mind the most becomes your god. Worries, if indulged, become idols.”
Yikes! When I worry, I’m basically telling God just like the ten scouts did above, “The problem is too big. I don’t think you can handle it!” I’m giving the problem more credit and more power than God. In essence, I’m worshiping my problem. Boy, did that set me straight! Because I know there’s nothing and no one more powerful than God. No situation, no relationship, no job, no lost loved one, no health problem, no heartache. Nothing. Nada. Zip.
Remember how David went out to fight the giant, Goliath, when everyone else was shaking in his boots? Don’t worship the giant tidal waves in your life.
In reality, you plus God are the giant wave! And the tidal waves are but tiny ripples in God’s sight.
MaryLu Tyndall