He Is For Us, Not Against Us…

You hear people say, “if God is so good, why did He let so-and-so die? Or prevent this disaster from happening? Or why did He allow this or that person to succeed? Or why did He give me cancer?” As human beings we will always question God’s actions. But what we fail to admit is all the things God does for our benefit, protection, and preservation that go unnoticed. Here’s an example of this in Numbers chapter 17. After being freed from slavery in Egypt, after escaping Pharaoh through the parting of the Red Sea, and even after receiving Manna from Heaven every single day for food, the Israelites still complained. It got so bad that there was a rebellion against Moses. Korah led this coup to oust Moses and Aaron from their leadership positions. God put a stop to that immediately. Korah, his family, and all the rebels died. To be exact 14,950 people perished, along with Korah and his cohorts. Even that didn’t change the hearts of the fickle people. Finally God made Aaron’s staff blossom with flowers and almonds to prove His choice of leadership belonged to Moses and Aaron. This budding staff was left in front of the ark of the covenant as a reminder of what God did, is doing, and will do to those who rebel. It is a reminder that a God is in control. It was God’s way of warning the people, and thus saving more lives from destruction. How many people talk about God doing things to prevent deaths? Or Him doing things to save people from doing stupid stuff? Or warning people to prevent suffering from happening? God is in control. Yes, it is sad when tragedy strikes, but it’s even more of a tragedy when people don’t seek God out. The only reason people say these negative things about God, is because they don’t know Him. They don’t seek Him out. They don’t acknowledge His Omnipotence. They don’t want to know Him, or they simply selfishly live their lives oblivious to His sovereign hand weaving the threads of grace, love, and purpose throughout every single person on this earth. It’s not until people truly seek Him through surrender, that the evidences of His workings are clear and plain to see. So the next time someone comes to you with these types of statements about God, simply tell them, “I don’t have an answer for your ‘Why’ question, but I do know God is in control. And His purpose is for His glory and our best”. What we don’t see, or don’t know, or never acknowledge is the fact that God is always proving Himself to us. We are weak, fragile, and insecure. Our fickleness is the direct outcome of a life lived solely for the purpose of pleasing oneself. Surrender that pursuit, and His presence and purpose will bring peace and contentment to your uncertain world. There’s so much more to this life than we will ever see. But a life of pursuing God gives clarity in knowing He is for us, not against us.

1 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the people of Israel to bring you twelve wooden staffs, one from each leader of Israel’s ancestral tribes, and inscribe each leader’s name on his staff. 3 Inscribe Aaron’s name on the staff of the tribe of Levi, for there must be one staff for the leader of each ancestral tribe. 4 Place these staffs in the Tabernacle in front of the Ark containing the tablets of the Covenant, where I meet with you. 5 Buds will sprout on the staff belonging to the man I choose. Then I will finally put an end to the people’s murmuring and complaining against you.”6 So Moses gave the instructions to the people of Israel, and each of the twelve tribal leaders, including Aaron, brought Moses a staff. 7 Moses placed the staffs in the Lord’s presence in the Tabernacle of the Covenant. 8 When he went into the Tabernacle of the Covenant the next day, he found that Aaron’s staff, representing the tribe of Levi, had sprouted, budded, blossomed, and produced ripe almonds!9 When Moses brought all the staffs out from the Lord’s presence, he showed them to the people. Each man claimed his own staff. 10 And the Lord said to Moses: “Place Aaron’s staff permanently before the Ark of the Covenant to serve as a warning to rebels. This should put an end to their complaints against me and prevent any further deaths.” 11 So Moses did as the Lord commanded him.12 Then the people of Israel said to Moses, “Look, we are doomed! We are dead! We are ruined! 13 Everyone who even comes close to the Tabernacle of the Lord dies. Are we all doomed to die?” Numbers 17:1-13