Have you ever gotten weary in the space between God’s promise and its fulfillment? God’s people felt the same way in the Old Testament. In Numbers 21, we see the Israelites complain in the middle of the desert when they weren’t getting to the Promised Land as quickly as they would have liked:

“From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.’”

This little outburst resulted in a painful punishment from God in the form of poisonous snakes. Only by pleading to Moses for a cure did the people find salvation from God for the snake bites. What’s the lesson here? It can be wearying to be in the space between the promise and the fulfillment; but we’ve just got to keep on walking.

No matter where you are today, trust that God has the best plan for you—with the best timing. The Israelites asked God, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?” At some level, the answer to this question was yes. God wanted them to crucify their flesh. He wanted them to get over themselves. God is more concerned about the quality of our character than the speed of our process. So the next time you’re tempted to complain about how long the process is taking, pivot and ask, “God, how do you want to make me more like You in this season?”

Live Big!

Dr. Derek Grier