In search of God

Numbers 14:4, ‘And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”’ What happens when something you believed God for does not happen according to your timeline or in the manner that you had expected? Most of us despair, reject God’s leadership over our lives and then we go back to that old familiar crutch that we are so used to, that addiction that we use to distract our minds from our misfortune, or lift us up, or validate us. That is what the Israelites did when they were at the brink of entering the Promised Land but received a bad report from ten of the twelve spies sent out to inspect the land. They despaired and thought of going back to the land where they had been mistreated and living as slaves. They rejected God’s leadership and wanted to select their own leader to do according to their will. They had forgotten all the miracles that God had performed in display of His Might and Power to them. Isn’t that how most of us react when we are in despair...

John 14:1, ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me.’ As Jesus was preparing to face the cross, He left His disciples a word of encouragement because He knew they were going to face uncertain and disappointing times before His resurrection. Uncertainty and disappointment, because of lack of control over the circumstances facing us, cause us to panic, despair and be fearful. We have troubled hearts but Jesus asked His disciples then and us now that we need to trust in God, the Father and the Son. When we are faced with a situation that is difficult and that seems to have no way out for us, we need to remember that God is all knowing; He loves us and has good plans for us. With this knowledge we can let all our cares and concerns rest in Him and place our complete trust and faith in Him and His ability to get us out of the situation stronger, better and more mature than we could ever do it for and by ourselves. Trust and faith is the only way to defeat fea...

Habakkuk 3:17,18, ‘Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crops fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour. Our current circumstances might be dire, we might be facing imminent death, destruction might be upon us but at that moment, we should not be overcome by fear or despair but we should rejoice in the Lord. Why? Because He lives and He is our Savior and it does not matter what the situation is, He is going to save us. When the world seems to against you, your friends betray you; your enemies surround you, rejoice in God, shout and sing songs of praise. Do not allow yourself to cower into a corner in despair and self pity but rejoice in the Lord for your salvation is at hand. Just like Paul and Silas who were in prison in chains, in pain, when they rejoiced in the Lord, their chains fell off, the chief ja...

Habakkuk 3:2, ‘Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy. Often when we are faced with tough times, trials and tribulations of this world, we feel forsaken by God lamenting and crying out to Him, asking why He has forgotten us. We focus so much on the current crisis and the darkness enveloping us in the pit we are in that we forget about the crisis that we had faced in the past and how the same God we are crying out as having forsaken us helped us then and lifted us out of the pit that we were in. The God we serve is the same yesterday, today, tomorrow and forever and therefore if He has saved you once He will do it again. All we need to do is be patient and trusting. Whenever we are faced with these situations and we feel despair creeping in, remind yourself of the times past, that you have seen the saving arm of the Lord in your life. Our God is a merciful God and He will show...