He's Got My Back

As I was musing about today's reading from Numbers 32:20-24 a scene from the movie The Bear came to mind.  The clip I found is a little longer than I would have liked, but I love the scene where the mountain lion is face to face with the cub and suddenly turns tail and runs away.  At first all you see is the cub standing it's ground and roaring for all it is worth- but as the camera pans out, standing behind the cub is this huge bear also roaring and looking much more intimidating.

I thought it was a great picture of the verses for today.  Moses tells the sons of Reuben and Gad that they must arm themselves and cross over the Jordan, not just before the rest of Israel, but also before the LORD and then adds, "until He (the LORD) has driven His enemies out from before Him, and the land is subdued before the LORD."  Sometimes when I am "going into battle" I forget who is really the One who achieves the victory.  I forget that when I am facing "my enemies' it is not me they are running from, but the One who stands behind me.  Bearing that in mind, what do I really have to fear as I enter into 2012?

Grace, Peace, and Mercy,

Deb

It's Not All About Me

Then they came near to him and said, “We will build here sheepfolds for our livestock and cities for our little ones; but we ourselves will be armed ready to go before the sons of Israel, until we have brought them to their place, while our little ones live in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. We will not return to our homes until every one of the sons of Israel has possessed his inheritance.

This is an image of a sheepfold I pulled off the web and is not my own.

Today's study in Numbers brought me to Chapter 32, verses 16-18.  As I thought about how building sheepfolds and fortified cities, going to battle, and possessing inheritances had anything to do with me I noticed a couple of things.
First, there was still a fear of the inhabitants of the land, but in their willingness to go into battle to take possession of the promised land perhaps there was also more trust and faith in God to do what He had promised.  I totally understand the desire to provide a safe place, I like my safe place.  In praying this year to become the woman God intends me to be I also want to be willing to leave my safe place and venture wherever He leads.  This is so totally against my nature; I could be a very happy hermit.

Secondly, while the sons of Reuben and Gad were being given what they desired, they were still a part of the larger community.  There was still a responsibility to see that the other tribes of Israel received their promised inheritance.  Sitting here in my comfy chair, safe and secure in the knowledge that I have eternal life though Christ my Savior, I am convinced that I have much to do in sharing that precious gift with others.  Knowing that God does not desire for any to perish but all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9) indicates to me that I need to make sure this goal encompasses everyone I meet.  Yet I see in it too a responsibility to other believers, like the ones I worship with every Sunday.  A call to lift them up in prayer, to encourage them in their own journeys, to seek their good and be a positive influence.  I am feeling more and more called out of my safe, comfy place, to go out in the world.  Already I am starting to think that becoming the woman God wants me to be is going to present personal challenges that will work to deepen my own faith and trust in the One who has saved me and calls me His own.

Grace, Peace, and Mercy,

Deb

On Becoming What I Am Meant to Be

We had a wonderfully refreshing week with family in the Dallas area last week.  Now it is back to semi-normal around home except for the fact that the university does not start back until January 17th.  So I either need to resort to getting up in the wee hours for my quiet time or retreating to a quiet place somewhere away from distractions while my fellas are up.  With all of our late nights for the last several days the wee hours did not work for me this morning- even with the best of intentions.  I sympathize with you moms out there trying to fit in a quiet time with children about the house.  I remember well how hard it was to get up while it was still dark in order to finish my quiet time before the boys got up and our home school day got underway.  I can be much lazier now; so this vacation thing is really messing with my peaceful attitude.  (Funny how, when I sit down to write, these things come to mind and I see I have a matter of the heart that needs some prayer.)

I am back in Numbers this morning for my Old Testament reading.  The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad have come to Moses to seek his permission to settle on the side of the Jordan river that they currently occupy rather than crossing into the promised land and taking possession of it.  Moses responds, "Shall your brothers go to war while you yourselves sit here?  Now why are you discouraging the sons of Israel from crossing over into the land which the LORD has given them?  This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land." (Numbers 32:6-8, NASB)

My initial observations were that these men were simply identifying a good spot to settle down with their flocks and families.  What's the big deal which side of the Jordan river it happens to be?  Yet Moses' response to them makes it clear it is a big deal.  In fact it is no different than that huge turning point in Israel's life when the men came back from spying out the promised land with their reports of giants in the land and as a result were made to wander in the wilderness for forty years.  I do not know whether these men feared what lay ahead or just really liked what they saw and desired to go no further.  Either way, their decision would impact the whole nation, bringing discouragement and perhaps disobedience to once again refuse to go where God was leading.

As I look ahead to this new year of 2012 I was challenged by our pastor yesterday to become what God wants me to be.  His sermon was based on Philippians 3:12-14 and verse 13 really hit me:  "This one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind me, and straining forward to what lies ahead."  I have to ask myself: will I cross my Jordan river this year or settle for what lies on this side of it?  Will I strain to move ahead towards becoming the woman God wants me to be or will I stay put in my comfy place?

The Psalmist asked of me today in my daily reading "Why do people waste time with futile plans?" (Psalm 2:1b, NLT) and in Proverbs I was reminded that the "Fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.  Only fools despise wisdom and discipline."  All are pointing me to the one thing I want to do this year and what it takes to accomplish that goal.  So I am once again committing to read through the Bible this year and to make prayer a priority.  Without those two things I am woefully bereft of those things which will allow me to become more of what God wants me to be.  It is part of the straining forward process as I too, like Paul before me, "press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Phillipians 3:14, NASB)


Grace, Peace, and Mercy,

Deb