Numbers 35-36

Today's passage - http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=numbers%2035-36&version=NIV

As we close the book of Numbers, we find the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho. Their travels have brought them closer than ever to the Promised Land. The time of being stuck in the wilderness is drawing to a close. David Gurzik on enduringword.com does a wonderful job of showing how God has used this amazing journey from Egypt to the brink of the Promised Land for the growth of His people. Here are a few of his points:

1. From their encampment at Mount Sinai, God gave Israel the opportunity to grow from being a slave people to being a Promised Land people. He taught them how to be ordered, organized, cleansed, separated, blessed, how to give, to be reminded of God’s deliverance, given God’s presence, and received the tools to advance to the Promised Land.
2. Then, as the nation actually set out from Mount Sinai to the Promised Land, they found themselves struggling with the flesh - they murmured, complained, and rebelled; most of all, they failed to enter into what God had set before them by faith - and a generation of unbelief was condemned to perish in the wilderness.
3. God led the nation for some 38 years in the wilderness, with much motion but no progress - enduring more rebellion and murmuring, but essentially waiting until the generation of unbelief had died and a generation willing to trust God for big things had come to maturity.
4. So they set out towards the Promised Land again, and faced the same challenges of the flesh - but dealt with them better this time, until they made their way to the threshold of the Promised Land.

As we close the book of Numbers, I encourage you to look at where you are in your journey of faith. I don’t know about you, but I tend to bounce back and forth from a Promised Land person to a Stuck in the Wilderness person. At times I obediently walk in faith, trusting God’s plan for me, & stepping out in faith. At other times I walk in unbelief, afraid of where God is leading me, complaining about the opposition I face and rebelling against His plan for me. If we’re in a Stuck in the Wilderness period of life, God wants nothing more than for our unbelief to perish so that He can move us toward the Promised Land. What should we do if we are in a Stuck in the Wilderness period of life? I love the story in Mark 9: 22-27 where a father asked Jesus to rid his son of a demon. :

"It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." " 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" 25When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil[a] spirit. "You deaf and mute spirit," he said, "I command you, come out of him and never enter him again." The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, "He's dead." But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up."

God can work with and honors a desire to believe. He knows we will have times where we struggle with our faith and all He wants us to do is give that struggle to Him. He doesn’t want us to remain Stuck in the Wilderness because of our unbelief. He wants us to be honest about our doubts and have a heart that is willing to be transformed. If we are struggling with a period of unbelief, we too, can cry out to Jesus, “help me overcome my unbelief.”

Have you had an experience where God has brought you out of a Stuck in the Wilderness period of life. Feel free to share your story by clicking the link below and posting a comment on the blog. Your story might encourage others who are struggling!

Today's post submitted by Kelly Coxe