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An Emotional Roller Coaster
Andrea Lende • September 4, 2020
Numbers 20:4 and 12
An Emotional Roller Coaster
You can also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/An-Emotional-Roller-Coaster-ej3o7o
Daily Word:
Numbers 20:4 and 12
“And why have you brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, that we should die here, we and our livestock?”
“And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, Because you did not believe in Me to sanctify Me in the eyes of the Israelites, you therefore shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.”
Lately, I have found myself complaining.
Not usually something I participate in.
However, I’ve found that the last few weeks have been wrought up with difficulties and my attitude has been less than positive.
In each instance where I felt overwhelmed, I complained.
However, the Lord came to my aid every time.
All the angst that I experienced was for nothing.
All the complaining and negativity just caused undue emotional distress.
It didn’t yield any answers.
It didn’t prove to helpful in any instance.
I just put myself through an emotional roller coaster.
The Lord, however, was gracious.
As I read our verses today, I saw that the Lord worked everything out for the Israelites as well.
They hadn’t trusted Him for their basic necessities.
They complained greatly against God.
Moses and Aaron didn’t have the answers to their complaints until they brought them before the Lord.
After all the times the Lord had provided, Moses and Aaron were not in a place where they could testify positively on the Lord’s behalf.
They could have told the crowd of people that God would provide.
They could have reassured them of God’s greatness and everlasting help.
But, they didn’t.
The Lord held Moses and Aaron accountable in a huge way.
They weren’t allowed to bring the people into the promised land.
They weren’t even allowed to go into the promised land themselves.
After all the years of leading this group, they were denied.
God still loved them.
But He couldn’t let them lead His people through to the end game.
It makes me wonder if the Lord will shorten the end game for me.
Have I complained so bitterly that some of His rewards will be held at bay?
I don’t know the answer to that question but have to believe that the Lord will continue to lead me day by day.
Today I choose to follow the Lord and His requests of me and pray that He will strengthen my faith so that I do not waver.
May you find that the Lord will increase your faith in Him and that you will not waver when things seem difficult.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for showing me that You are Almighty and that I can count on You. Thank You for showing me that I need to have unwavering faith in You because there is nothing too difficult for You. Please strengthen my faith in You. Help me keep my eyes on You and not the circumstances around me. Help me know that You will always work everything out according to Your plan. Set a guard upon my mouth so that I do not complain or speak ill of my circumstances. Help me speak life in everything, Father. Thank You for watching over me and protecting me and the family You have given me. Help us look to You for all our needs, Lord. Keep me seeking You. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM watching over you, My child, and will always take care of you.
Response: Thank You, most gracious and merciful Lord.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.