A few weeks ago, one of our assistant pastors preached from the book of Numbers from the famous passage in chapter 14 about the 10 spies who returned from Canaan with a bad report. These spies recounted the good at first; but too soon, they told the people that the bad far outweighed the good. In this chapter, there is a verse tucked into the conversation between Moses and God as Moses was pleading for the lives of the people. Numbers 14:21 says, But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD. God goes on to say the Israelites who had seen all the plagues in Egypt and had experienced all God’s miracles since then would not enter the Promised Land as a result of their faithlessness. Instead, their children would have the joy of seeing the Promised Land that they had forfeited.
As I was listening that evening, the thought struck me that God will get glory, but it may not be through me. If I am unwilling to step out by faith, I may miss out on seeing God be magnified and on being part of Him being glorified.
Just as these Israelites had seen those miracles, I have seen miracles in my own life. My three children are miracles from God that defied a doctor’s pronouncement. I have witnessed God’s hand as He relocated my husband and I to prepare us for what He has for us now. I have watched as church buildings have been built, as people have been healed, and as God has moved in the past. I have experienced glimpses of God’s glory, just as the Israelites did.
Just like those Israelites, I can lose everything, too. If I begin to look at the troubles around me and decide that, just maybe, God is not big enough, I could choose to turn back just as they did. The Bible gives us no doubt that God’s glory will fill the earth, but we can miss out on being a part of it if we do not step out in faith. God’s glory did fill the earth in those days as the Israelites finally possessed the Promised Land, won battle after battle, and watched the walls of Jericho fall down. However, it is sad to know that those who were intended to share in the victory were long dead, never getting to experience all that God would have had for them if they had simply stepped out in faith and trusted the One Who had already brought them through so much impossibility.
Today, let us be willing to go forward in faith so that we can have a front-row seat to God’s glory.
by Vicki Voorhis