Faithful Confidence
Passage: Deuteronomy 1:23-33
Point
1. Moses reflects on the lack of faith in the people by reminding them of the bad report brought back by the twelve spies sent out in the promised land.
2. Their hearts melted because the spies reported of the strength of the cities and they feared that God had brought them out to let them be destroyed.
3. Moses had shared words of encouragement by telling them that as the Lord fought for them in Egypt and cared for them in the desert, the Lord would do the same now. In spite of this, they did not believe the Lord their God who went before them to seek a place to set camp and had led them in fire by night and in a cloud by day to show them the way.
Personalize
Some think that faith is blind. It is the idea that we step out into the darkness without assurance. While faith requires us to believe those things we do not see, faith is not blind because it is based on the faithfulness and character of Christ. When we hear from Christ we step out in a faith based in the assurance of our Lord. The Lord has demonstrated time and time again that he can be trusted. He has provided for us in the past thus He can and will provide for us in the future. Our steps of faith are based on the knowledge that the Lord will guide and care for us along the way.
The people led by Moses had seen the miraculous work of God time and time again. They saw the power of God revealed in the plagues that led to their release from Egyptian captivity after 400 years. When the Egyptian army was pursuing them they saw the Lord deliver them by opening up the Red sea and they crossed on dry land. When they were hungry God fed them and when they were lost God directed them in a cloud by day and in a fire by night. Their faith was placed in the Lord who was very much visible and seen, yet they still could not trust Him in the challenges of their journey. In their eyes the Amorites were too much of a match for them and they soon forgot the signs of power seen in the Lord's provision and protection.
The Lord assured the people He would go with them and protect them. Moses states: "Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the LORD your God" (v.32). In spite of God's faithfulness, in spite of God's word to protect them, they would not believe the Lord. We may be quick to judge the people but we do the same. We are called to trust the Lord in those times that require faith. We read and say we believe the Word of God that reveals the power of God time and time again, but when it comes to our decisions and our trust in the word and actions of God we respond the same way and do not believe He will provide for us. In spite of all He has done we do not believe. The only way we can begin to walk in faith is to trust what we have heard and seen God do in the past. May we place our faith solely in the person of Christ to provide and protect. "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). We are assured God is able and we are convicted He will complete His purpose in us.
Prayer
Lord give us the ability to walk by faith and to trust in You. We do not want our future to be limited by our inabilities but we want to see a future shaped by Your abilities. Lord we are reminded of your strength and power, thus we want to walk forward with full confidence in what You can accomplish.
Created 8 months ago
