Corona Devo 368

Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!”  ~Numbers 14:9

Are we in rebellion against the Lord today?

I didn't think so, but then as I was sipping coffee and reading the Bible I choked a little as I realized that I may define rebellion differently than God does.

To me, rebellion means things like "defiant" or "purposely choosing to go against" or "to buck authority", and although I mess-up in my pursuit of being-like-Jesus daily, none of these rebellion definitions have anything to do with my intentions in pleasing God.  I truly desire for the Lord to be pleased with me, and I imagine you feel the same.

And while we may go through periods of rebellion (college/mid-life-crisis/temper tantrum), I would not claim (or have any desire) to be in rebellion against the Lord today.

But what if we asked a different question?  Instead of "Are we in rebellion against the Lord today?", I wonder if any of us would admit to being in fear today?

What are we fearing and is it standing between us and the Lord?  Money, death, relationships, Covid, masks, debt, expectations, stress, etc.?  

What if God defines our "rebellion" as us allowing fear to have more control over us and our thoughts than Him?  Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land... ~Numbers 14:9

In Numbers 14:9 when Joshua and Caleb spoke truth into the people, they rebuked the people's fears and they equated their fear to rebellion against the Lord.  He puts the two ideas together and unmistakably links them in this verse.  Are they also linked in our lives today?  

Would any of us admit to fear having control over us today?  If we are allowing fear that control over us, then we are indeed in rebellion against the Lord, whether we mean to be or not.  

I never thought of it that way.

And the thing about fear is that it clouds our vision, it blocks our view, and it gives us tunnel vision.  We stop seeing Truth and we become confined to seeing life through fear-colored glasses.  They produce a very distorted view of the world and people around us, and if fear is in control of us then we are in rebellion against God being in control of us.

But God gives us clarity.  We can trust Him instead of our fear, and He gives us the vision to see things as they really are.  We do not need to be afraid: They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!”  ~Numbers 14:9

Brothers and Sisters in Christ--the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them! (Numbers 14:9).  Whoever or whatever our "them" is--Don’t be afraid of them!  

If the Lord is with us(!) then we can step out of fear and allegiance to it.  And the Lord is with us!    In Christ there is nothing to fear because the Lord has conquered fear and we can trust Him to protect us.  

His protection may mean deliverance from harm, or it may mean his presence beside us as we endure a prison-season in our lives, but either way (and everything in between): the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!  We can be assured of God's protection, but those who purposely choose rebellion against God cannot.

 They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection...(Numbers 14:9).

Heavenly Father, thank you for opening our eyes to a new definition of rebellion against You.  If we have allowed fear to lead us instead of You, forgive us for our defiance.  Today we choose You.  Wash away and scrub-us-clean of defiant attitudes that are rooted in fear.  Let us wrangle our fears and tie them up in the ropes of Your authority.  They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection...(Numbers 14:9).   But we DO have protection, and it is You: but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!” (Numbers 14:9).

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com  

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