It really all goes back to child-like faith, doesn’t it? Kids are fearless most of the time. My best friend’s son Jackson is two and he’s all boy. His favorite game when I visit is for me to hit him with a pillow and knock him back on the bed a gajillion times. “Again,” he says after each round. The bigger he gets, the braver he becomes. He falls down and gets back up, not afraid to try again. When he jumps off his bed into my arms, he has no fear because I told him I would catch him and he trusts me. I pray he never loses that excitement of the next adventure that waits.
I pray I keep that same excitement. Somewhere on our faith journey, many of us lose that child-like faith. We get so caught up in busyness, routine, the disappointment of others, and the valleys of life, that we take our eyes off who God really is and put Him in this tiny box and stick Him on the shelf to collect dust. We only open the box to let Him out for emergencies.
But that isn’t who God wants to be for us.
He created us for relationship. His greatest desire is to commune with us all the time. To walk with us. To provide for us. To talk with us. God doesn’t need us; He’s God. But He wants us. He wants relationship with us. We are His children, which means we should have no fear when it comes to jumping into His arms, because He promises He will catch us. He promises He will never leave us. He will never fail us. He will never abandon us. When God is distant, it’s because we’ve stepped away, not Him.
That’s how it went for the Israelites time and time again. God would show up and say, “Jump into my arms and I’ll carry you out of bondage,” but they were too focused on themselves to trust God. Somewhere along their journey out of Egypt they lost their child-like faith. God parted the red sea and saved their lives. CNN came to interview the survivors and get play-by-play action of the miraculous event. Facebook was filled with selfies of pale survivors still trying to get the color back in their face after realizing what had just happened. Instagram hit maximum capacity thanks to the #thatjusthappened hashtag.
The Bible says, “When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the Lord had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before him. They put their faith in the Lord and in his servant Moses.” – Exodus 14:31
Three days later they complained because they didn’t know how they were going to get water. Three days after God had literally saved them from drowning in a billion gallons of water, they were freaking out about where they were going to get water. And a month after their rescue, they were wishing God would’ve just left them in Egypt to die because their stomachs were growling. CNN moved onto other news, social media was filled with pictures of kittens again, and the Red Sea miracle was old news.
Yet God, in His mercy and grace, shows up despite their unbelief.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they will gather food, and when they prepare it, there will be twice as much as usual.” – Exodus 16:4
And God did just what He said He would do, because He follows through with His promises. Quail and manna covered the land for miles. No one would go hungry. But God asked for something in return for His gift to the Israelites. He asked them to continue honoring the Sabbath and rest on that seventh day, which meant there wouldn’t be any food on the ground that day. He gave them specific instructions to gather a double portion on the last day and He gave His word that it would not spoil. He would honor them by feeding them and He asked them to honor His day in return. Simple enough, right? Nope. Some still chose to go out on the Sabbath day and look for food, yet were surprised when they found none.
[ctt template=”3″ link=”5dFHs” via=”yes” ]When God is distant, it’s because we’ve stepped away, not Him.[/ctt]
God gave them clear direction, promising He would provide their every need, still it wasn’t enough. The parting of the red sea wasn’t enough. Providing water wasn’t enough. Making birds fall from the sky wasn’t enough. Their hearts were full of unbelief in the One who saved them. Ever been there? Me too.
Sin can be both subtle and obvious, but either way it can bring serious consequences. The Israelites’ story, unfortunately, continues on a roller coaster of disobedience. They continued to defy God, even though He constantly showed up to show His love for them, but consequences followed their actions.
- While they feasted on their fried quail, God sent a plague.
- One generation was never allowed to see the Promised Land.
- Specific men were killed with a plague for causing a riot within the community.
- Many were killed by poisonous snakes.
- Their disobedience brought many curses upon God’s people, many which we’re still affected by today.
The list goes on…
It’s easy to look at that and think, “Geez, God. Little harsh don’t ya think?” But God’s mercy shows up time and time again in this story, as it does throughout the Old and New Testament. He was so patient, waiting for His people to come back to Him. Yet, despite every promise He kept to protect His flock, the unbelief in their hearts put up roadblocks to their freedom. He’s much more patient than I am. I would’ve taken them out the first time they complained about not having any water.
Have you forgotten where God has parted the red sea in your life? Do you believe He can do it again? Do you believe He can set you free from that fear? That addiction? The lies you’re believing about your circumstance?