Choose God’s future not your past as you go about your daily life. He can see into the unknown and knows exactly where He desires to lead you.
The Israelites had witnessed more astounding miracles in a short time in the wilderness than most of us see in a lifetime. Yet they still found it hard to believe that God could and would take care of them.
They had much trouble believing that God had wonderful plans for their future and wanted to bless them immensely.
Their mentality was, “God, I know you have done many miracles, but will you continue to do them?”
All they could see is where they had come from. They had been slaves for the Egyptians, and lived in horrible circumstances. Yet they still thought they preferred it to their unknown circumstances of the moment.
They knew what to expect in Egypt, even though it was bad. Now they had no clue where they would go or what would happen in the future.
It became easy for them to whine and complain about everything they thought was going wrong.
They lived in tents for a time, but God miraculously fed, clothed, and provided for all their needs. He also intervened in such a way that the Egyptians gave them silver, gold, and valuable livestock as they left.
They didn’t leave Egypt running for their lives with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Each family left with plenty of everything for the next phase of life in the land God had promised them.
In fact, after their departure Egypt was crippled economically for quite a while.
But the Israelites continued to be stuck in the past. They had a hard time seeing God as a loving Father that wanted to give them His Very Best.
His plan was to show them that He could abundantly meet every circumstance or need that ever arose in their life.
He wanted to show them who He was. Then they would have no trouble depending on Him to meet their needs. God wanted to reveal His Glory to change their hearts and lives forever.
God works in your life in much the same way. He sends you through a wilderness period with the sole purpose of trying to show you who He is. He wants you to learn to depend on Him instead of looking to yourself.
How I wish I had learned this valuable truth at a young age. The wilderness period doesn’t always mean that God is disciplining you for something bad. I believed that far too many years.
God shows you truth. Then He tests you to see how well you will walk in the truth He has given you. Think of it like being in school.
The wilderness period is easier to go through if you understand why you are there. So make sure you choose God’s future not your past.
You may right now be at the point where you don’t know where God is leading you. His desire is for you to learn how He works and to get to know Him personally.
He wants you to learn to trust Him completely with your life. He can see the whole picture, and knows just how He will lead and deliver you in every set of circumstances.
