Author: astherainandsnow

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls…

“You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot… You have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God.” 1 Peter 1:3-9,18-19,23

Our God is a God of measureless bounty, and infinite attributes. In His divine economy, He is always on time, supplies perfectly all we need, never exhausts, never forsakes, and is able to do more than we ask or imagine. The Lord loves us enough to set boundaries, and discipline us, and steer us in His paths. He loves us too much to let us stray too far, or continue in sin without repercussion. He loves us to the end by living, and dying, and rising again, to accomplish our full salvation. (Deuteronomy 31:6; Psalm 121:3-6; Ephesians 3:20; John 13:1)

God’s mercy is great, and the joy He gives in Christ is inexpressible. Once we are born again to living hope, there is nothing here on earth, no earthly treasure or charm, that compares with our undefiled and unfading heavenly inheritance.

We may be tempted to idolatry- the love of image, goods, privacy, reputation, even family, over our love for God- but His power that saved us can guard us in the struggle. He tests our faith to uncover our depravity and absolute need for Him. He brings trials to refine us in their fire, to expose what is unpleasing and burn off our dross. He loves us enough to measure them with grace, and too much not to let them sting, and prick us to right action.

Do we recognize, in our present griefs, His surpassing power? Do we value our Savior’s surpassing worth, and that of our guaranteed inheritance? Are we too steeped in the world’s ways and habits of deception and delusion to exercise faith’s courage in the unseen? Are we trusting the perishable for our security, our solace, our good standing among men, when God is calling us to trust His supremacy?

Savior, wean me from the world and all its traps. May I respond to Your love-inspired tests and trials with vibrant hope and unshakable faith.

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
    he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
    and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
    and the day of vengeance of our God;
    to comfort all who mourn;
to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
    to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
    the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
They shall build up the ancient ruins;
    they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
    the devastations of many generations.” Isaiah 61:1-4

There is a scratch in the sky this morning, the only smudge of color in an otherwise clear canopy, like a scrape that’s injured smooth skin. Its color draws attention, diverting my eyes from all that is right to the lone aberration. It has the trace of the Maker’s hand, Him who makes beauty from the scratches in our lives. Only our Lord is flawless. Only He turns mourning to gladness, the faint-hearted to praise, devastation to wholeness.

Would we remember this ongoing grace were every day smooth, every sky clear? Captivity groans for freedom, brokenness for restoration, ruin to be raised. It is these frictions and longings that flow forth in beauty and glory when Jehovah appears and has His way. Every scratch points to His perfection, every longing to His appearing when all will be well. (Revelation 21:3-7)

How can we perceive our life scratches anew by considering the good news our Lord announces? Would we fix our hope on His promises of what is to come, and on Him who will fulfill them?

And how can we minister to others in low places of life and soul? If the Lord has indeed anointed us with good news, how readily and often are we proclaiming it? Who is mourning that we can comfort, who is faint that needs reminding of God’s reviving strength? Where do we carry the gospel in word and action, by binding the broken through affectionate care, or loosing the bound by forgiving wrongs against us while explaining the love of Jesus? When all we see are frail seeds of potential, what are we doing to nurture individuals and relationships to establish them as oaks of righteousness? (Isaiah 40:28-31; 1 John 3:18)

God’s blessed favor touches every scratch, and reaches every devastated generation. It is in fact the ruin in the world that magnifies the loveliness of His grace. We who have received the gospel for ourselves have the daily privilege of proclaiming it, speaking truth in love so His mercies and bounty can be known and employed for the building up of the Body. (Ephesians 4:15-16)

Lord, in the power of Your Spirit upon and in me, help me proclaim and live out Your good news to the poor and brokenhearted. May Your people grow in gladness, that You may be glorified.

“He was despised and rejected by men,
    a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief…

Surely he has borne our griefs
    and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
    smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
    and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
    we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
    yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
    and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
    so he opened not his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away…
He had done no violence,
    and there was no deceit in his mouth.” Isaiah 53:3-9

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2

We see and hear Jesus’s mistreatment- mocking, accusation, flogging, excruciating torment of mind and body- and wince. We shrink from such suffering, or get stuck in the pain and see no way out. But for our Savior, it was a pathway, a means to joyful end, a necessary road to glory. Do you see it? There in the middle, brought us peace, with his wounds we are healed. And for the joy set before him. In the midst, in the choke and wretchedness of the agony, is the promise of peace, healing, joy.

The challenge for us is that pain can distort our perspective. Angry fists and caustic words can pummel at reason and sensibilities. Beaten down, accused, and weary, we can lose our ability to see rightly. God has holy purpose in suffering, and we mustn’t lose sight of the blessedness of the pathway and joy on the other side.

Living this side of the cross we have the glorious picture of what is that joy- full and abundant life, and freedom in Christ. We experience the power of the resurrection as we share in the fellowship of suffering, so we are not defeated. We know the richness of salvation’s spiritual blessings that fill and guard and guide us. (Ephesians 1:3-14; Philippians 3:10-11)

For the present, we walk pain’s path, that way made rocky and littered by Eden’s fallout. But Jesus is nigh, and in His determined ‘while,’ restores, confirms, strengthens, and establishes us. He never wastes it. Beaten olives produce good oil.

What tangle do we need extricating from in order to see the righteous end? Where does our vision need to shift from the near-sight of pain to the far-sight of joy? A long look at the Suffering Savior affords glorious worship of the Perfecter of Faith. (1 Peter 5:10)

God of all grace, humble me and keep me from sin along this day’s path. Establish my heart firm in faith, trusting Your strength, and praising Your dominion over all. (1 Peter 5:6-11)

“My heart is steadfast, O God,
    my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!
    Awake, my glory!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
    I will awake the dawn!
I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
    I will sing praises to you among the nations.
For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the clouds.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
    Let your glory be over all the earth!” Psalm 57:7-11

“I rise before dawn and cry for help;
    I hope in your words.
My eyes are awake before the watches of the night,
    that I may meditate on your promise.
Hear my voice according to your steadfast love;
    O Lord, according to your justice give me life.
They draw near who persecute me with evil purpose;
    they are far from your law.
But you are near, O Lord,
    and all your commandments are true.
 Long have I known from your testimonies
    that you have founded them forever.” Psalm 119:147-152

“Morning by morning he awakens;
    he awakens my ear
    to hear as those who are taught.” Isaiah 50:4

There are times when the blush of dawn overwhelms with emotion, choking the throat, glazing the eyes, stirring waves of gratitude for the undeserved beauty of God’s rich hues of grace. In these moments, when the soul feels ready to burst, and the quiet cannot be contained, the natural, and reasonable, and spontaneous impulse is to sing.

“Awake, my soul, and with the sun

thy daily stage of duty run.

Shake off dull sloth and joyful rise

to pay thy morning sacrifice.” ~Thomas Ken (1695)

I rise and open up his word,

to hear and converse with my Lord.

To know His grace and learn His love,

and set my mind on things above.

You have forgiven all my sin,

now make and keep me pure within

For since You died to set me free,

I won’t withhold myself from Thee.

With grace and truth please fill my mind,

and guide me in thy way divine.

Infuse my heart with holy light,

so I will cherish all that’s right.

I offer up to You my day,

and all I think and do and say.

My goods, my gifts for You to use,

my toil, my time as You so choose.

I long to know and be like Christ,

to love and serve, grow strong and wise

To speak His words and like Him see,

I raise my hands, ‘Here am I, send me.’

If this should bring me death or pain,

To live is Christ, to die is gain.

So come what may, favor or loss,

privileged I am to bear the cross.

And so I ready for each hour, 

  to live them in Thy heavenly power. 

Thy will to seek, thy love to share, 

  Thy fame and glory are my prayer.

(Numbers 24:15-16; Isaiah 6:8; Romans 12:1-2; Philippians 1:21; Colossians 3:1-2)

Amen.

“The angel of the Lord said to Balaam, ‘Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you.’ So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak… Balaam said to Balak, ‘Behold,.. have I now any power of my own to speak anything? The word that God puts in my mouth, that must I speak…’

“Balaam said to Balak, ‘Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet me, and whatever he shows me I will tell you…’ God met Balaam. And Balaam said to him, ‘I have arranged the seven altars and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.’ And the Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, ‘Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak…’

“‘How can I curse whom God has not cursed?
    How can I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced?..’

“Balak said to Balaam, ‘What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have done nothing but bless them.’ And he answered and said, ‘Must I not take care to speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?..’

“And the Lord met Balaam and put a word in his mouth and said, ‘Return to Balak, and thus shall you speak…’

“‘God is not man, that he should lie,
    or a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it?
    Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?’

“Did I not tell you, ‘All that the Lord says, that I must do’?.. 

“Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. And the Spirit of God came upon him, and he took up his discourse and said,

“’The oracle of Balaam,
    the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,
the oracle of him who hears the words of God,
    who sees the vision of the Almighty.'” Numbers 22:35,38; 23:3-5,8,11-12,16,19,26; 24:2-4

Balaam had a loyalty problem. Though he was God’s spokesman, his heart flirted with other affections. He was easily swayed by the possibilities of fame and fortune, and could not stand firm on God’s firm word. He spoke absolute refusal with absolute ambivalence, always entertaining the next enticement from Balak. Ultimately, against the backdrop of his weak and ineffectual deal-making, sovereign God’s pronouncements went forth. His word always stands, and we would do well to stand with them. (Numbers 22:1-32)

The guarding of the tongue is no small matter. God takes our words seriously- they flow from our hearts, and He cares about our hearts. He expects us to take care of what we say. Words are His tools for consolation, blessing, and eternal life, but they can also be restless and full of deadly poison. (Luke 6:45; John 6:68; 1 Corinthians 14:3; James 3:8)

What constrains our tongues, and who restrains them? If the Lord Jesus constrains us to speak His life-giving words and we comply, His Spirit will restrain us from words that divide, deceive, and destroy. What malice, deceit, slander, and breaking of confidences need we put off? Will we rely on His Spirit to replace ugly words with those that upbuild and accord with grace and peace? (Colossians 3:8; 4:6; 1 Peter 2:1)

Put a guard over my lips, O Lord, and guard my heart. May I speak only Your words, in Your gracious and strong voice, to the end that Your truth is made clear and Your excellencies are magnified. (Psalm 141:3; Proverbs 4:23; 1 Peter 2:9)

“Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
    protect me from those who rise up against me;
deliver me from those who work evil,
    and save me from bloodthirsty men.

For behold, they lie in wait for my life;
    fierce men stir up strife against me.
For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord,
    for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.
Awake, come to meet me, and see!
   You, Lord God of hosts, are God of Israel…

O my Strength, I will watch for you,
    for you, O God, are my fortress.
My God in his steadfast love will meet me;
    God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.

Kill them not, lest my people forget;
    make them totter by your power and bring them down,
    O Lord, our shield!
For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips,
    let them be trapped in their pride.
For the cursing and lies that they utter…

Each evening they come back,
    howling like dogs
    and prowling about the city.
They wander about for food
    and growl if they do not get their fill.

But I will sing of your strength;
    I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.
For you have been to me a fortress
    and a refuge in the day of my distress.
O my Strength, I will sing praises to you,
    for you, O God, are my fortress,
    the God who shows me steadfast love.” Psalm 59:1-5a,9-12,14-17

David had been nothing but loyal to King Saul, but Saul’s jealousy and instability boiled unpredictably. Provoked only by irrational emotion, Saul lashed out, plotting to kill his servant, and steady David fled his attacks. This psalm portrays the gravity of his situation against the depth of his trust and knowledge of his God. Compared to the volatile Saul and his fierce, bloodthirsty men, David’s God was steadfast in love and steady in strength. Evil and vile they prowled, waiting to pounce, but David would sing of the Lord of hosts, who met him offering refuge. (1 Samuel 19:8-12,18)

So much of how we handle life has to do with our perspective, which drives our determination. We can act out from inner strife, hurt, insecurity, or pride, possibly formed from years of listening to false mantras that darken or diminish our perceived worth. But, having been washed by Christ’s blood, we can also see with redeemed eyes that He shines and reigns over our troubles and attacks. When we choose to trust God’s triumph over all things, we carry music into every mess. (Psalm 51:1-2; 1 John 1:7)

Our great and loving God can turn each challenge- fears, impossibilities, profoundest griefs and wounds- into a song. He can change meandering affections into melodies, realigning them to God’s pitch. He can bring dissonance into harmony, correcting and cleansing the most difficult of relationships, war-torn by years of selfishness and hurt. He can adjust the syncopated noise of unhealthy counsel and worldly opinions into the clear rhythms of His truth. It is true that even with deep sorrow or angst in our hearts, He can instill song in our souls.

Would we acknowledge our inner and outer struggles, yet focus on our Strength and Savior? Amidst the heaviness of battle and sad events, would we sing of His steadfast love?

Lord, may I lift You high above all the trouble, all the day.

“Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
    the God of glory thunders,
    the Lord, over many waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
    the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
    the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,
    and Sirion like a young wild ox.

The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
    the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth
    and strips the forests bare,
    and in his temple all cry, ‘Glory!'” Psalm 29:1-9

God’s voice is loud and universally projected, but it takes intention and a trained ear to recognize. We can grow numb or ambivalent to its tenor, or dismiss it as background noise- soothing and consistent but not intended for us personally. Often, even subconsciously, we let the world distort or drown it out altogether. Just as in this Psalm it is sandwiched between the call to ascribe His worth and glory, so keeping it central by hearing and beholding its effects will ground our worship, perspective, and attitude. (Psalm 19:1-3)

Ascribe: To regard as arising from a specified cause or source; attribute; to regard as belonging to or produced by a specified agent

Regarding, acknowledging, and praising God’s glory and strength, His splendor and holiness, is a beckon of the heart. In doing so, we attribute His perfections as arising from Him, belonging to and identifying Him, and produced by Him. When we behold creation and watch His activity in history, we hear with new sense and in added dimension the attributes we exalt.

There are a number of choices for our listening pleasure: in our homes, our vehicles, plugged directly into our ears. We determine what we hear by making choices what to turn on, play, and watch. What if we were to begin each day ascribing to God His due glory, then asking for ears attuned to His voice? What if we inquired of Him in earnest prayer, and waited, listening for His conviction, His answers, by His Spirit, through His living word? (Hebrews 4:12)

What can we turn down in order to increase the volume of God’s voice? Our stubborn opinions? Prejudices? Tightly held plans? Our way of doing things? Resentment or unwillingness to forgive? Whether it be a sinful mindset or a good-thing-become-idol, we can consciously or unconsciously block our ears to the life-changing, instructive, inspiring voice of the Lord. (2 Timothy 3:16)

If we turned up the volume, would we hear His voice loud enough to thunder over the lesser voices that tease and pester with doubt and dismay? Would we hear His promises as powerful enough to overcome our weaknesses, dispel our fears, and uproot our bitterness? Would we hear His truth as majestic and supreme, and strong enough to break our bondage to sin habits and self-pampering and hopelessness? Would His voice light our way in confusion, shake us from the wilderness of spiritual lethargy and complacency, and bring new vitality in our relationships and work? (Psalm 119:105)

Father, may Your voice resound above all others. May it have its majestic way, in power and glory, so my every thought and movement is at its holy bidding.

“Hear my cry, O God,
    listen to my prayer;
from the end of the earth I call to you
    when my heart is faint.
Lead me to the rock
    that is higher than I,
for you have been my refuge,
    a strong tower against the enemy.

Let me dwell in your tent forever!
    Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings!” Psalm 61:1-4

“For God alone my soul waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken…

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
    for my hope is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my salvation and my glory;
    my mighty rock, my refuge is God.” Psalm 62:1-2,5-7

Whether the psalmist pleads with God, reaffirms his stance, or begs his soul, his hope and trust are in his only and mighty rock. When distanced from the Lord’s peace, when faint of heart and needy, when tempted to quake in fear and doubt, he turns to God and runs for His refuge. God alone. He alone. God alone. He only. He knows for certain where his soul can rest, and he wants to rest there forever.

Whatever our station in life, we see as we see, both enabled and limited by our specific perspective. We live in a particular locale, have been raised among particular people and atmosphere and mores. We are who we are because we’ve been where we’ve been, in place and experience. Some see life from a posture of defensiveness, anger, suspicion, and competition. Others see through a lens of love, hope, flourishing, and redemption. In Christ, what we’ve always known is brought to a spiritual height that equips us with new abilities to see, understand, and rest from a foundation like no other. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

On squishy sand, we trudge toward a solid surface. On scrabble, we look and feel for sure footing. From low places with limited vision, we clamor for a higher and secure vantage point. There is nothing quite like the Lord our Rock in any precarious or uncertain situation. He is immovable and unchanging. His word is a firm foundation, firmly and eternally fixed in the heavens. (Psalm 119:89)

Has hope floundered, or we cannot see a way forward? Look to the rock that is higher than I. Does confusion confound, or trouble swirl in mind and matter? Think on the rock that is higher than I. Does pain snarl, or do cares weigh heavy? Cling to the rock that is higher than I.

“My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

In ev’ry rough and stormy gale,
my anchor holds within the vale.
When all around my soul gives way,
he then is all my hope and stay.

Not earth, nor hell, my soul can move;
I rest upon unchanging love.
I trust his righteous character,
his counsel, promise, and his pow’r.

On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
all other ground is sinking sand,
all other ground is sinking sand.” ~Edwards Mote (1834)

Lord, keep me standing, believing, growing, rejoicing on You my Rock.

“The people of Israel came into the wilderness of Zin… And Miriam died there and was buried there.

“Now there was no water for the congregation. And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron… ‘Would that we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord! Why have you brought [us] into this wilderness, that we should die here..? And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.’ Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them, and the Lord spoke to Moses, ‘Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink…’ Moses took the staff, as he commanded.

“Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and said, ‘Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?’ And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.’” Numbers 20:1-12

God loved Moses too much to allow his emotions to run unchecked and cause a ripple effect of destruction in Israel. Following Miriam’s death, and the startling consequence for his outburst at the whining congregation, Moses was denied his polite request for passage through Edom. Then Aaron, his only remaining sibling, died. More reason for anger, self-pity, sorrow. The Lord would persevere to test and train him in self-control and God-dependence. (Numbers 20:13-29)

Irritation, anger, bitterness, self-loathing, when unchecked, can all lead to dangerous places of mind and habit. The passions fueled by idolatry, pride, and even exhaustion are equally as destructive. Sarcasm, rage, fear, and numb inaction can grow and poison any attempt at fruit-filled living. Emotions-gone-wild insidiously reverberate in words and actions we cannot retrieve, and spread their circles of dark influence over hearts, relationships, and lives. Only the Lord can expose the root of our emotions and redeem the mess they make. (Proverbs 15:18; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 4:31)

What triggers cause us the most trouble? A sudden loss of control over a person or situation? Antagonism, criticism, or sarcasm that stung me? Fatigue that makes it hard to tighten the spigot on critical or caustic words? Fear that freezes me from being healthfully vulnerable? Have I kept my pain hidden, become smug in controlling my temper, but unwittingly allowed hatred to fester? When tempers flare, depression looms, or quarrels arise, what passions have we let run amok to wreak havoc in our minds? What will I do to avoid these impetuses and correct my proclivities before God? With whom need I make things right? (James 4:1-2)

Father, purify every emotion, and control them for good. Please help me do what I can to stem the ripple effects of hurtful actions through genuine repentance, and returning kindness, mercy, grace, and love.

“The people complained in the hearing of the Lord, and when the Lord heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them… Then the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire died down…

“Now the rabble among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, ‘Oh that we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at…’

“Moses heard the people weeping, everyone at the door of his tent. And the anger of the Lord blazed hotly, and Moses was displeased. Moses said to the Lord, ‘Why have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me, “Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing child,” to the land that you swore to give their fathers? Where am I to get meat to give to all this people?.. I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me.’

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel.., and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. I will come down and talk with you there.I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone…’ Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders.'” Numbers 11:1-2,4-6,10-14,16-17,25

Moses had no easy job. He followed everything the Lord told him to do, but his 600,000 charges were incessant whiners, and he could not bear it any more. The drone of complaint wore away at his holy resolve and optimism; leading Israel was displeasing to the core, and very disheartening. So he went to the Source of wisdom and help, his LORD.

When the rabble among us cries with complaining, and the rabble within us rises with strong craving, we have an Advocate, a present help. External trouble is exhausting, sometimes more than we can bear. When we identify it, God undertakes to help us deal with it, often through His Spirit-filled people. Hidden inward rabble can be detrimental in many areas as it erodes our peace, contentment, confidence, strength, and vision. (Psalm 46:1-3)

We, like Moses, can approach God with confidence to find help in every instance. He stands as our Defender, guards our hearts and minds, prays continually for us, and provides all and everyone we need. We are inextricably bound to our stronghold by His grace. (Psalm 18:1-2; Romans 8:31-39; Philippians 4:6-7,19; Hebrews 4:14-16)

What rabble is rising, pestering, unnerving, or weighing heavy today? Would we take our every concern to the Lord, and receive His aid?

Father, help me accept the rabble You ordain as impetus to press close to You and act as You lead. May I trust Your Spirit in every trouble.