marching with you - 19th week tuesday 2015

We have read the second to the last part of Deuteronomy where Moses hands down the mantle of leadership to his successor Joshua.  Tomorrow the last part will be read – Moses will be allowed to get a glimpse of the Promised Land on top of Mt. Nebo, and then he will die.

Moses was 120 years old.  He was not allowed by God at the last leg of the journey to the Promised Land.  Why was he not allowed?  Because Moses at one time did not trust God.  When they were in Merribah, when the people complained that they have no water, Moses was instructed by God to tap the rock so that water will come out of the rock.  Moses did not just tap it once.  He tapped it twice.  Probably he could not wait, probably he was anxious that water did not immediately come out of the rock, probably Moses was afraid as to what people might say if by any chance water would not come out as God said it would.  The point is Moses did not trust God’s word that water would be provided. And because of this Moses was punished, he was not allowed to enter the Promised Land.

This I believe is the reason why Moses was insistent first to the people and then to Joshua that they put their trust in God.   First Moses said to the people, “Be brave and steadfast; have no fear, for it is the LORD, your God, who marches with you; he will never fail you or forsake you.” And again he said to Joshua “Be brave and steadfast.  It is the LORD who marches before you; he will be with you and will never fail you or forsake you. So do not fear or be dismayed.”  God is not up there, God is not at the end of the journey – no.  Moses said he is marching with you, he is traveling with you, he is walking WITH you.

Last week I told the seminarians about one of the first articles I wrote when I was editor of Candle Light.  At that time Candle Light had no more money and we were slowly incurring debts.  And yet despite that we pushed on.  We lived one issue at a time, one week at a time and that was when I wrote an article which I entitled, “My God of the last two minutes.”  In that article I shared with the readers my experience of God’s providence at the time I needed it.  I said at the time I needed it, not an hour before I need it, and neither an hour after I needed it, but at the time I needed it.  The last two minutes is that most crucial time in a basketball match when in a close game a short two minutes can make the difference.  God helps us at that point in our life when we need his help.

Like Moses, it is easy to get overwhelmed when we try solve every problem all at once.  It is easy to be overwhelmed when we worry about a problem that may or may not happen a week from now.  But you see God helps us at the time when his help is needed.