Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus

Deuteronomy 1:19-46 records how the people of Israel refused to obey GOD and enter the land that He had provided for them. After a journey through a “great and terrifying wilderness” you would think that the people would have been glad to find a place to rest in a new land, but instead of conquering it as the LORD commanded, the Israelites reacted with fear because those who occupied it were mightier than they. They even decided that the LORD hated them and wanted to destroy them.

GOD had promised these people that He would help them and be with them. He would have delivered the land into their hands if they had obeyed Him. Instead they were forced to wander in the wilderness for forty more years. Later in the book of Joshua, it’s recorded that the children of these disobedient people conquered the land for themselves with the help of the LORD.

When I first read this, these people and their fears seemed so silly. Why couldn’t they have just trusted GOD? He had never failed them before. He had delivered them from the Egyptians. He had led them through the wilderness, providing for all of their needs along the way. He had proved His love and faithfulness to them over and over. Because they chose to disobey GOD, they cheated themselves out of His blessings. The LORD then accomplished His will through the next generation.

Then I realized that I doubt the LORD in the same way. When I see others’ lives going in different directions than mine I question Him. So many people know what they want to do and where the LORD is leading them to go with their lives, and I don’t. I barely even know what I’ll be doing a week from now let alone in ten years. The hardest part about that is that I’m the type of person who plans everything. I have two calendars and three legal pads full of lists and plans for the future. I love knowing what’s ahead. So when people tell me their plans for the future, I start to worry about my own future. I worry that I won’t get a good job when I talk to someone who’s studying to go into business. I worry that I’m not spiritual enough when I talk to someone who wants to be a missionary. I worry because I’m not ready to be in a relationship, let alone married, when I talk to someone who’s engaged. I worry that I’ll regret studying English in college when people ask me what in the world I plan to do with it.

But in light of the Israelites and what the LORD did for them, my worries seem silly and insignificant. Why can’t I just trust GOD? He’s never failed me before. He’s delivered me, led me, and provided for me. He’s proved His love and faithfulness to me over and over. He knew the end of the Israelites’ story and He knows the end of mine. For now the next step for me is this: trust and obey.