Respond to Difficult Situations
Numbers 20:1-13; Psalm 106:32-33
Life is hard. We all face tragedy, setbacks, and challenges. How we deal with these struggles reveals our relationship with God.
The Israelites were at Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin without food or water. They were in dire straits. How did they handle this challenge? They blamed Moses and looked back fondly to their days of slavery (vv. 2-5). Their selective memory reminds me of the song “Kodachrome” by Paul Simon):
If you took all the girls I knew when I was single
And brought them all together for one night.
I know they’d never match my sweet imagination
Everything looks worse in black and white.
It’s incredible that after 40 years of following God in the wilderness, the Israelites did not trust God’s faithfulness. Then I find myself whining and wishing for the good old days when my life gets hard. Humans want life to be easy with no worries. Life is never like that.
In his book “A Million Miles in a Thousand Years,” Donald Miller challenges his readers to think of life as a story. “The point of the story is never about the ending -?. It’s about your character getting molded in the hard work of the middle” (p. 177). Life is hard, but if we trust God, he will guide us and mold us into better people.
Life is hard for leaders, too. After being attacked and blamed for the plight they were in, Moses and Aaron sought God’s help. God gave them very specific instructions to deal with the crisis (v. 8). Had they followed God’s leadership, God would have been glorified.
But the experience entangled Moses and Aaron in bitterness and anger (Psalm 106:32-33). Instead of following God’s guidance, Moses became bitter and angrily struck the rock. As a result, both Moses and Aaron were denied the blessing of entering the Promised Land. When you face life’s difficulties:
1) Patiently trust God to guide you through and know that he will mold you into a better character.
2) Understand that life is hard for everyone instead of blaming others for your situation.
Know that “when something hard happens to you, you have two choices in how to deal with it. You can either get bitter or better” (Miller, p. 180-81). Choose to get better; it will make all the difference.
Scudder– Lessons in the BSL series for the fall quarter are being written by Steve Scudder, former director of missions for Savannah River Association.