Are we nearly there yet?
So here’s the Moses and the snake story, Jesus mentioned in John 3:14
Moses Makes a Bronze Snake
4The Israelites had to go around the territory of Edom, so when they left Mount Hor, they headed south toward the Red Sea. But along the way, the people became so impatient 5that they complained against God and said to Moses, ” Did you bring us out of Egypt, just to let us die in the desert? There’s no water out here, and we can’t stand this awful food!” 6Then the LORD sent poisonous snakes that bit and killed many of them.
7Some of the people went to Moses and admitted, ” It was wrong of us to insult you and the LORD. Now please ask him to make these snakes go away.”
Moses prayed, 8and the LORD answered, ” Make a snake out of bronze and place it on top of a pole. Anyone who gets bitten can look at the snake and won’t die.”
9Moses obeyed the LORD. And all of those who looked at the bronze snake lived, even though they had been bitten by the poisonous snakes.
I know when some families set out on long journeys, they are faced with the inevitable “are we nearly there yet?” questions. Some more often than others. We were very fortunate, our children always loved long journeys – the down side being that they refused to sleep, because they didn’t want to miss anything. They insisted that the journey was all part of a holiday(sometimes the best bit!)
The Israelites fell into the former category for Moses. They had set out on their journey from Egypt to the promised land. They should have been delighted and excited, setting out on a journey with God, seeing where he was going to lead them. Instead they moaned and complained – it’s just desert, there’s no water, the food is awful.
Now wandering around in the desert is no fun, but they had forgotten what they had left behind, the terrors God was saving them from.
Lent is a journey, as if life. It is not always easy. We will pass through the desert, it is inevitable. There will be days when what we had before, however bad it was, will seem preferable to where we are now. But the desert has to be crossed, it is the way from where we are to where we’re going.
The desert can be a time of stripping away, of realising what is really important, of learning to rely on God and God alone. Can we live with it for a while? Use it as an opportunity to take stock? To learn the lessons of the desert? Or do we want to get it over and done with?
The people learnt the hard way that God was with them and would look after them.
However vast the desert seems, God is there. God goes before us and travels with us. He will protect us, wherever our journey leads us.
Lord
we know
there will be times when we have to cross the desert.
When we have to leave behind what we know,
move on;
when we will discover what really matters;
some times we will just have to endure.
Thank you that you live in the desert
as well as the grassy planes.
Thank you
that wherever our journey leads us
you are there.
You provide what we need
and keep us safe.
May we cross the desert
remembering you,
not wasting our time moaning,
but receive your love and protection.
Pam's Perambulation 