Two of the men who had explored the land, Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, tore their clothing. They said to the community of Israel, “The land we explored is a wonderful land! And if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey, and he will give it to us! Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!”Numbers 14:6-9
One weekend I arrived at a beach, looking forward to walking in the lovely white sand. What awaited me was the most awful-smelling seaweed I’ve ever seen—not one pile but miles and miles of it brought in by a storm. The first two days all I could see (or smell) was that stinky seaweed. I barely noticed the beautiful things about those two days. The next morning when I went out, the seaweed was still there, but this time the Lord turned my gaze to the dazzling blue Texas sky, the blonde toddler splashing in the waves, a dad and his son making an intricate sand castle. Oh, the seaweed was still there, but this time it didn’t spoil my enjoyment because my focus was somewhere else.
Joshua and Caleb were the kinds of leaders who saw that the land they explored was “exceedingly good” (v. 7, niv, niv). But the other men saw only giants and obstacles and were filled with fear. Joshua and Caleb saw the possibilities, but the others spread a bad report. Ask the Lord to help you to look up and keep your focus on him—and to not miss the beautiful things along the way.
LORD, open my spiritual eyes to see those “exceedingly good” things in my path. Forgive me for focusing on the problems and the “stinky seaweed” in the world around me. As I keep my eyes on you and the goals you’ve put before me, may I go forth in faith, not in fear, so that I don’t miss the beauty and blessings of each day.
having thus chosen our course, let us renew our trust in God and go forward without fear and with manly hearts. Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)
The One Year Bible Readings for today are Numbers 14:1–15:16; Mark 14:53-72; Psalm 53:1-6 and Proverbs 11:4.
This is an excerpt from:
Praying though the Bible
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