Wednesday, February 17, 2010
February 18 ... Numbers 16 - 17 "Exposed in the Wilderness"
Numbers 16: 1-3 - "Getting on his high horse one day, Korah confronted Moses and Aaron along with 250 men, saying, 'You've overstepped yourself. This entire community is holy and God is in their midst. So why do you act like you're running the whole show?' " Moses responds to these 251 men with faith and passion, looking to God. I keep thinking about Moses being a stutterer not wanting to speak with anyone but on this day leading 2 million. And Aaron, unable to control his own kids, much less a crowd. What happened to Moses and Aaron in their wilderness experiences? How did they find such courage, such faith? Moses' and Aaron's hard life in the wilderness exposed their failures and they lived a broken repentant life What happened to the others in this story? 66 Love Letters: "With no thought that their thinking might be wrong, they assumed that their happiness depended on others relating to them well and on life treating them well." And they claimed the right to define what "well" meant. So...what is going on inside of me as others relate poorly to me? And what is going on inside of me as life treats me not so well? Is there a war waging?
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"On hearing this, Moses threw himself facedown on the ground... "In the morning God will make clear who is on his side, who is holy. God will take his stand with the one he chooses."
ReplyDeleteI am in the midst of a serious conflict with a friend and can you believe I needed the reminder this morning to throw myself facedown and give it to Him and He will make it clear?
Have a good day,
Angie xoxo
Thank you for those that prayed for my husband yesterday. We still don't have a specific answer to what is causing his health issues; but, we have ruled out some things it could have been.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
--michele
Continued prayers for you, Michelle and your husband...for answers and for peace.
ReplyDeleteDefiance, jealousy, rebellion, and definitive judgment...
God will be God this day. Moses and Aaron had to be exhausted by this time, doubting themselves, but not doubting God.
Lord, if we all could be more sure of You and less about ourselves. Remember our weakness, Lord, and infuse love to give us obedience and servant hearts.
Pride, rebellion, lack of contentment, complaining, etc...
ReplyDeleteAnd then there is Moses, face down on the ground, righteous anger (is mine?), asking God to show mercy, and "standing between the dead and the living" to stop the plague.
Which description fits me? And do I want an eleven day journey to end up taking forty years?
LORD have mercy, Christ have mercy!
Blessings and thanks for letting me share.
FG
B'ham, Al.
Two things:
ReplyDelete1. This made God very angry. In fact, as I was reading this, I was reminded of the fall of satan. So much of what these men said against Moses...satan said against God.
2. Moses and Aaron showed compassion in the midst of their betrayal. To the people. And they let God handle their accusers.
This impacted my life years ago the first time I read it. God is good, but He is GOD. He swallowed UP these rebels and burnt to a crisp his "holy" priests.
I am humbled and fearful in His Presence right now. He can make the best of us tremble.
Michele, may this powerful God we serve bring His healing Spirit into the life of your husband.
ReplyDeleteAng, praying for healing in your conflict with your friend.
God, teach us through these words how to please you. Especially when we are betrayed or attacked.
Anonymous FG, welcome!
Wow. As someone whose knee-jerk reaction is to defend myself, I noticed immediately that Moses didn't do that when confronted by Korah. He just took it to God and trusted that God would make all things clear. How I wish that was what my initial reactions looked like on a regular basis! I did appreciate the fact that it says that Moses' temper blazed white-hot. I've certainly felt that, but it's what I do with it that matters, right? Psalm 4:4 - in your anger do not sin.
ReplyDeleteI'm learning a lot from Moses about what it looks like to trust and follow God wholeheartedly in the midst of hardship and confrontation.
I can so relate to Bev's question about what's going on inside of me as others relate poorly to me. God is using these readings and each of you to peel away at the layers in me so I can examine my heart in the midst of the relational challenges.
In many ways I feel like I'm a complete wreck these days, yet I feel more alive spiritually than I've been in quite awhile. This seeming contradiction isn't something I've experienced before but am thanking God for it. He is doing a new thing in me! Isaiah 43:18-19
On hearing this, Moses threw himelf facedown on the ground..."in the morning God will make clear who is on his side, who is holy. God will take his stand with the one he chooses.
ReplyDeleteAs I read this my mind flipped back to when I first considered lying facedown on the floor with arms outstretched before a HOLY GOD as I prayed. The first few months I was under the teaching of Mama Beth in Water's Edge Sunday School we were studying the book of Joshua. At the conclusion of the lesson Beth challenged those who were interested for the next seven days to pray facedown to worship and praise God during the daily prayer time. For whatever reason I had never thought to pray lying facedown.
First let me say, thank you Jesus that I can still physically get up and down from the floor by myself to be able to pray facedown and spread my arms out to worship and praise Holy God.
Well, currently I am physically unable to however as my right knee heals, which will be very soon that ablitity will return. I want to say Beth's simple challenge changed my prayer life experience forever.
Whenever I am feeling desperate about a situation whether physically or not I am as best I can immediatley going facedown before Holy God praying the concern I want to bring to Elohim the MOST HIGH God.
Feb 18th was no exception. Early this moring as I lay on the table for the vascular sonogram I was unable to tolerate the device the technican was using in a certain area. This was a huge surprise to me as that didn't happen in January when I had my first sonogram.
Bev, thanks for your courage to share your medical experiences. I immediately started speaking out loud the scriptures I had memorized and praying the grace, mercy and peace of God and doing my best to relax so the sonogram could be completed accurately. As the tech continued to work before long I recognized how calm and peaceful I had become. This was definitely Holy God's Grace and Mercy as the tech continued the process. The tech was very experienced and said she got what she needed but I requested before she finished to go back to the difficult area to be sure we got what the doc needed. At the end the tech agreed to my request and it was like night and day. The power and favor of a HOLY God to remind me He Never Leaves me nor forsakes me even in this Health Wilderness. I had gone facedown as best I could on the table in prayer during this sonogram and HOLY God blessed this child.
My Heart sings to Him as I walk through the Wilderness of my current Health Issue. I am thankful for this scripture read to remind me I always have a choice and I choose obedience to Him and thankful for God's Grace, Mercy and Peace in my life.
I sing to Holy Father for Grace, Mercy and Peace for Michele, FG in B'ham AL also Ang and her issue. I can't forget CiCi and Beloved Bev...Twinkle, Annie, Abba's Girl, Kim D., & Mary Lou each of you on this blog mean so much to me and my walk with God. Thank you.