- Vincent Bujor
Craving the blessings of this world
“For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He knows your trudging through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.”
Deuteronomy 2:7
After 39 years of wandering around in the desert, the children of Israel were about to march to the Promised Land. The time of waiting was almost over. They had experienced countless miracles on the way. One of them was a miraculous stream of water that came out of a rock near their campsite. It had quenched their thirst for years and was a symbol for Jesus (1 Corinthians 10:4).
Now, God told them to go up north through a fertile and populated area called Edom. There, they could buy food and water, on the way to Canaan (Deuteronomy 2:3–6). It was just a short distance they had to travel without sustenance. Then, they would be home. The LORD was testing their faith one last time.
Is this generation trusting God or are they just like their fathers?
Do we crave the blessings of this world?
God has given us so much. Our fridges are full. We have A/C and heating whenever we want it. Our standard of living is higher than John D. Rockefeller’s. We fly across the globe, stream thousands of movies, order anything we want online, and wear different outfits every day.
Do our actions reflect our belief that we’re almost at the Promised Land?
What if God suddenly “cut the water supply” before we headed “north” to Heavenly Canaan? Would we be mad and frustrated or glad and thankful? I’ve clamored for the blessings of this world many times. I love the beach and the Californian sun. I enjoy driving our car. I take my health for granted. I get excited about ordering food at that vegan Vietnamese place. But when I lose these privileges—will I start complaining?
Remember this: when God takes some of our privileges and earthly blessings away, He’s testing our faith and telling us that we’re almost home.
“For forty years did unbelief, murmuring, and rebellion shut out ancient Israel from the land of Canaan. The same sins have delayed the entrance of modern Israel into the heavenly Canaan. In neither case were the promises of God at fault. It is the unbelief, the worldliness, unconsecration, and strife among the Lord’s professed people that have kept us in this world of sin and sorrow so many years.”
Selected Messages Book 1, p. 69
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