How long will this wicked
assembly grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the children of
Israel against me. Tell them: By my life, says the LORD, I will do to you just
what I have heard you say. Here in the desert shall your dead bodies fall.
Forty days you spent in scouting the land; forty years shall you suffer for
your crimes: one year for each day. Thus you will realize what it means to
oppose me. I, the LORD, have sworn to do this to all this wicked assembly that
conspired against me: here in the desert they shall die to the last man.
After everything God had done
for the Israelites, from freeing them from Egypt to dwelling with them in the
ark, they still did not trust God. This lack of faith spurred by fears and
doubts overcame their confidence in God. How easily we can fall into the same
pattern in our own lives. We are faithful followers of Christ while things are
easy, but the moment He asks us to risk something for our spiritual growth, we
grumble and complain. He offers use a life overflowing with graces and good
fruits, but we recoil from it because we are afraid of the obstacles in our
way. We come up with excuses not to take the leap of faith and deny God our
trust. And then, we wonder why our lives seem to be wondering aimlessly through
the desert from suffering to suffering with no relief. It is because we turned
our backs on the way forward and have chosen to oppose God’s Will. The only
remedy for this is to purge ourselves of our doubts and fears and put our faith
in God’s Providence.
What are the things we grumble
about in our lives? Are our doubts and fears holding us back from where God is
calling us? How can we learn to take the leap of faith when God provides us
with an opportunity to follow Him into the Promised Land?
O Lord, we are sorry for our
grumbling and ask you to lead us where we need to be.
Amen.
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