The story of the Israelites freed by God from Egyptian slavery and their long journey to the promised land is also the story of my Christian life. I was freed from the slavery of sin, saved by Jesus through his death and resurrection, was given the promise of the land overflowing with milk and honey. But I am stubborn, always complaining, never contended, selfish, self-righteous and impatient. Just like the Israelites who have seen God's saving power, provision, protection and love when they left Egypt, and yet have always grumbled in their journey to God's promised land, I too, have done exactly the same thing. I praise God when life is good, but I complain when it's not. I am given much more than I deserve but I am not contented. I crave meat when I am well provided with manna. When problems come along, fear and worry engulf me instead of meditating on God's miracles in my life. I lack courage when I see giants (problems) even though God assured me that His presence will protect me. I whine, I grumble, disrespect authorities in my life and when God is silent about my prayers, instead of waiting for Him and trusting Him, I take matters with my own hands. How I see myself in them- when the Israelites decided to make a Golden Calf as their God because Moses is taking so long to go down from God's presence! God's fire is there to light my way during the dark nights and His cloud during the day, and yet I take those for granted as I am focused more on what is ahead of the journey, forgetting to rest and appreciate. And so I stumble, and instead of being guided, I take my own way only to find out I stand again to where I started. I am circling the desert instead of getting close to my destination. That is because I do not follow my guide- my shepherd and savior Jesus.
I am tired, exhausted by my stubborn heart. Guilt within me is overwhelming. But I am reminded that God is gracious. His unfailing love can be trusted, his mercy and grace know no bounds. As I read through the book of Zechariah this morning, God is asking me to return to Him, to rest in Him, to follow Him and His ways -
Therefore tell the people: This is is what the LORD Almighty says: "Return to me," declares the LORD Almighty, "and I will return to you," says the LORD Almighty. - Zechariah 1:3
I am back-up by God's grace. I am returning to my Creator, my shepherd. And I pray that in this journey, I will focus on God and His ways. I will follow my shepherd Jesus and trust Him to protect me and guide me through all life's dangers, challenges and storms. My journey in the desert will be wide and long, but with God's fire and cloud guiding and protecting me, my journey will be full of provision, peace and comfort. I know it won't be a smooth journey, but with Jesus as my shepherd, I will lack nothing.
