“Then we set out from Horeb and went through all that great and terrifying wilderness… And we came to Kadesh-barnea. And I said to you, ‘You have come to the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us. See, the Lord your God has set the land before you. Go up, take possession, as the Lord has told you. Do not fear or be dismayed…’ I took twelve men [and] they went up… and spied it out… and brought us word and said, ‘It is a good land that the Lord our God is giving us.’
“Yet you would not go up, but rebelled… And you murmured in your tents and said,.. ‘Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we. The cities are great and fortified up to heaven. And we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.”’ Then I said to you, ‘Do not be in dread or afraid of them. The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you… You have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the Lord.” Deuteronomy 1:19-21,23-32
It might be supposed that after years of suffering at the hands of the Egyptians, and having been miraculously delivered through the Red Sea on dry ground, the Israelites’ hearts had grown stout and strong. But in fact, they were soft, easily shaken and taken captive by fear and dread. The people too easily turned from what was known about God to magnify in their minds what-could-be about their enemies, and melted.
And aren’t we so prone? We know what we have read and experienced, and can say we believe that God is almighty and ever-present, yet we encounter any great and terrifying wildernesses of uncertainty or pain, and courage dissolves. When we see circumstances and foes as too large and impossibly ominous, our hearts melt. But when we fill our sights to see God as great, unlike any other and supreme in power, circumstances melt, at least in perception. Challenges still vie for attention and emotional investment, but we can keep their stronghold at bay by faith in the One who is greater. When will we lay these truths to heart as buttress and brace? (Deuteronomy 3:24; 4:39; 1 John 4:4)
Since attacks and trouble never wholly cease in this life, we must keep filled our storehouse of God’s deeds to shore up daily confidence. Identifying what occurrences or worries or doubts start the heart quaking can steer us to counter characteristics of the Lord. Keeping account of answered prayer, reciting His names, singing songs describing His nature and works will reinforce a high view of Him. Holding to the promises of scripture increases expectation of His providence in our circumstances.
What attributes of God are stanchions to our faith and perspective? How has this knowledge about God grown into knowing Him better as confidant, Helper, and faithful friend? What can we do to fortify our hearts in light of looming troubles? What good have we enjoyed by trusting His word, and how can we encourage someone else to do the same?
Lord, keep me focused on what You’ve promised and who You are so I fear not man but You alone. (Matthew 10:28)
As the rain and snow 