We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.
NUMBERS 13:31
I remember the first time I walked into the office of Bill Bright, while he was still president of Campus Crusade for Christ. As I looked on his desk and walls, I was fascinated to see what he valued. Of course, there were pictures of his wife and family, awards he’d received and mementos from around the world. But on his desk there was an engraved brass plate with the most unusual phrase I’ve ever seen in an executive office: “I’m no grasshopper.”
I asked Bill what “I’m no grasshopper” meant. He chuckled and started telling me the Old Testament story about the Israelites returning to their homeland after centuries of slavery in Egypt. Their leader, Moses, sent 12 spies into the land of Canaan. The land was inhabited by “giants,” but God said He would give it to the short guys, the Israelites.
Ten of the 12 came back and reported that it was impossible for the Israelites to conquer the land: “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are,” they said. “We seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them” (Numbers 13:31,33).
Only two of the spies, Caleb and Joshua, said the land could be taken. Joshua said there would be nothing to fear, because the people could trust in the Lord (see Numbers 14:8-9). But the people would not listen. As a result, the Israelites did not attempt to conquer the land God said He was giving them, and they spent 40 years wandering around in the wilderness because of their unbelief. They had become grasshoppers in their own minds.
After recounting this story, Bill turned to me and said, “Dennis, when I arrive in heaven, I don’t want my life here on earth to have been characterized by viewing myself as a grasshopper. My God is so big, I want to expect and believe Him for great things.”
I think of that story whenever I look at the challenges of this culture. The economy may go downhill, our moral condition may spiral downward, or our nation may be struck by terrorism; but I serve a big God. No matter what happens in my family or in my world, I don’t want to become a grasshopper. I want to believe God for great things.
You face the same choice as you begin a new chapter of your life. If you haven’t experienced hardship and suffering yet, you can be assured that you will during your years together. Will you respond to troubling circumstances like grasshoppers, or will you respond with trust in God, who is in control of your fate today just as He was in the days of Moses and Joshua?
You need to remember that God is always in control, even in times of uncertainty and moral chaos. Romans 8:28 is still true: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” So is 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” I am also reminded of what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount:
Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? . . . But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Matthew 6:25-27,33).
These Scriptures tell two timeless truths that you need to focus on and embrace together as husband and wife
1. God will provide for your needs. His provision may come in different forms than you expect, but His promise to meet your needs has not expired in the twenty-first century. That’s pretty important to remember in the early years of marriage, when you typically will not be earning as much money as you probably will in later years.
2. There is more to life than meeting your daily material needs. When you seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness, you operate according to His priorities—you’re concerned about building your family relationships and connecting the hearts of your children to God’s heart. You are impacting future generations by proclaiming Christ, and thereby impacting your world for Christ. That’s what life is really about.
Don’t become a family of spiritual grasshoppers.
Discuss