‘Because your men explored the land for forty days, you must wander in the wilderness for forty years—a year for each day, suffering the consequences of your sins. Then you will discover what it is like to have Me for an enemy.’ Numbers 14:34

My wife and I were reading some of our book tonight, and this is one of the stories that we touched on. I have heard the story numerous times, but when you read God’s Word, you can bet that you will always get something different out of something you have read before. And that is exactly what happened, my mind started turning and some thoughts came into the my head.

Stop and think about it…40 years…I don’t know what you think about when trying to fathom how long that is, but 40 years is a very long time, especially to just be “wandering the wilderness.” 40 years, that is a very long time, but how many of us today are “wandering in the wilderness?” 

Again, stop and think about it, say you are at a job that you hate, you’ve been there for, I don’t know, a few years, when is your “40 years” going to be up? The Israeilites were punished because they didn’t have faith in God, they were wandering to “suffer for the consequences of their sins.” Do you feel as if you are being punished where you are, if it is something that you don’t like? The Israelities ended up where they were because they lacked faith, we as Christ Followers cannot lack faith, faith is everything for our walk with our Father. 

Hebrews 11:6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. 

Psalm 81:10-12 For it was I, the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things. “But no, my people wouldn’t listen. Israel did not want me around. So I let them follow their own stubborn desires, living according to their own ideas. 

Referring to the passage from Psalm’s, how long are we going to turn from God and just follow the desires of our own hearts and not listen and do as He commands us to do? If you are a true Follower of Christ, you can look back at your life and see that there is so much that God has done for you, if you don’t see what He has done, I encourage you to look a little harder. Philippians 4:19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. God’s ways are so much better than ours, don’t spend your life wandering and lost, let God direct your path and your footsteps, walk with Him and you will live a life more abundant. 

Don’t miss out like the Israeilites did, God showed them miracle after miracle and they still failed to have faith. The same God that showed them miracles, is the same God that is still doing miracles today.