I spent much of the morning pondering the Israelites in the desert again. This tends to happen when I’m dealing with a problem that seems endless, or with an endless series of problems. Then my thoughts run to the never-ending meals of manna, the forever-hot sun, sand fleas, scorpions, and the appearance (or reality) of walking in circles.
That wasn’t convenient.
It wasn’t enjoyable.
It certainly wasn’t efficient.
And if you asked anyone from the tribe of Israel if this was their preferred method of drawing closer to God, the answer would almost certainly have been no.
Yet God expected them to get something important out of it. The things He wanted people to think about weren’t the obvious ones (“Why are we shuffling from one bit of blistering sand to another, when it’s tedious and unproductive? Why does this have to be so stupidly difficult?) but the eternal ones:
How do I conform my heart to God’s will?
What does obedience to His commands mean in this moment, on this day?
What thanks and praise can I offer in the midst of the sandstorm?
How can I serve Him, even in this wilderness?
Sometimes just asking different questions makes the trudging different, and more worthwhile.
