INNER TROUBLES 1
NUMBERS 20:6-12
The instruction given to Moses by God was simple and clear. God said, “Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes…” Somehow, it became a difficult instruction for Moses to carry out. As Christians, it is our heritage as members of God’s family to have God our Father speak to us. But, whenever He does, until we act in obedience to His Word, there is no proof that we heard Him. Our obedience to God is a proof that He is in control of our hearts; that He is the Lord of our lives. However, more often than not, obedience to God does not go without a fight from within.
Moses was a man chosen by God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt to the Promised Land. He was not given all the details of the task; God usually doesn’t. But he was assured of the presence, provision and protection of God all the way. Most of the battles he had to contend with were more on the side of the people he led than the enemies on the way. The people were always very slow to remember the goodness of God and swift to turn to Egypt and idols. They were indeed a stiff-necked people! They were very slow at learning the ways of God and many times ungrateful for His mercies.
This slothful behavior of the Israelites, in their faith toward God, got on the nerves of Moses; he became tired of carrying them like babies who never wanted to grow up (Nb 11:12). He really got frustrated; something turned inside him that he could no longer bear. It was the fear that this people will never learn that got him angry the next time they demonstrated the same attitude they had shown throughout the forty years journey.
But the trouble within Moses was not as important as the instruction that was given him. He could have let go! This is where the trouble is; when we make our personal issues the main subject, we will struggle with obedience. We must not allow these inner troubles block our views of what the real thing is before God. We must learn to deal with our inner troubles so that they don’t become obstacles to us as we seek to please God.
PRAYER: Lord, help me to focus on you than what the enemy uses to stir a battle within me.