After being encamped near Mt. Sinai for two years, the people of Israel were on the verge of entering Canaan—the land God had promised them. In this week’s Torah portion Shelakh Lekha, God told them to send twelve spies to assess the land and the people living there. When the spies saw the strength of the Canaanites and the size of their cities, ten of them said, “We can’t!” Two said, “We can!”
What made the difference?
When the ten compared the giants with themselves and the giants
loomed large, the two—Caleb and Joshua—compared the giants with God, and the
giants were cut down to size. “The Lord is with us,” they said. “Do not be
afraid of them” (Num. 14:9).
Unbelief never lets us get beyond the difficulties—the
impregnable cities and the impossible giants. It preoccupies itself with them,
brooding over them, pitting them against mere human resources.
Faith, on the other hand, though it never minimizes the dangers
and difficulties of any circumstance, looks away from them to God and counts on
His invisible presence and power.
What are your “giants”? A habit you cannot break? A temptation
you cannot resist? A difficult marriage? If we compare ourselves with our
difficulties, we will always be overwhelmed. Faith looks away from the
greatness of the undertaking to the greatness of God who is always by our side,
strengthening us to meet the challenges of life.
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