"Look Up in Faith," Numbers 21: 4-9; Pastor Richard Strode Sr
It is possible to learn from the mistakes of others and avoid being entrapped by sin. Jesus uses the wilderness experience of the Israelites while on their way to the Promised Land to teach Nicodemus and us to patiently keep the faith with God. For some, there are times when the Lord is unable to satisfy our desire for more and more. There is grumbling and complaining when the Lord's response to our prayers is out of sync with our expectations. Yet at the same time we can be guilty of discounting what the God has already compassionately done for our well--being. Those Israelites suffered death, plagues, pestilence and the assault of poisonous snakes because of their rebellion against god. We can see the errors of their ways but can we see it in our lives. We may suffer for many reasons: Sin; Foolishness, Consequences of self--inflicted decisions Living in a fallen world perhaps even doing good. Rather than blame God for our circumstances, remember even in the midst of our "wilderness" experience that the Lord has neither forsaken us nor forgotten about us. A faith--life application lesson from Numbers 21: 4--9, decide to go in the direction that leads you to faithfully trust in the Lord rather than your own understanding.
