Trusting God Completely

“But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!’” Numbers 20:12 NLT

Learning from past experiences in life is valuable. Life lessons are to be adhered to not make the same mistake again. If we do not learn from our history, we are sure to repeat it, mistakes, and all. The Christian life is full of learning experiences. A deep soul search for each of us will reveal the Lord’s presence and guidance through each one. Maybe not all of them were pleasant but reassuring of God’s guiding hand. Throughout all our experiences the Lord wants to build our trust in Him. He wants us to trust Him completely, not taking anything into our own hands.

Moses, the man of God, had more life experiences with the Lord’s help than anyone throughout history. He saw God work in miraculous ways in Israel’s release from slavery in Egypt, the opening of the Red Sea, mamma falling for food each day without exception, among other notable events in his time in the wilderness. He had learned to trust God, and his faith in Him grew stronger each year, but Moses, the man of God, had a moment when he failed to trust God completely.

The Israelites, known for their constant grumbling for forty years finally got to Moses. They were complaining again, this time, about the lack of water. Even after all they had witnessed all of God’s provisions over the last forty years, the Israelites still looked to Egypt as a better place. The Lord gave Moses and Aaron specific instructions to provide water, “You and Aaron must take the staff and assemble the entire community. As the people watch, speak to the rock over there, and it will pour out its water.” (Num.20:8a nlt) Moses took the staff, as instructed, but did not speak to the rock, but struck it twice in anger. Moses may have reasoned to himself that striking the rock was in order, for on a previous occasion the Lord told him to strike the rock for water, but not this time. (Ex. 17:6) He not only struck it once, but twice, and did not speak to it all. Moses didn’t trust God completely adding his own measures to it.

Failure to trust God has its consequences, both for Moses and for us. Moses and Aaron were prevented from entering the Promised Land due to their sin of not trusting God completely and taking the glory for themselves. We, too, at times run ahead of God assuming what worked the first time will work this time, failing to listen for God’s instructions for there may be a slight a change in them. God wants us to daily walk with Him, building our trust in Him, listening for His still small voice as He leads us. Out life lessons are learned by trusting God completely.

Read: Numbers 20:1-13 NLT – Moses Strikes the Rock – In the first – Bible Gateway