Faintheartedness
“And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt? And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.” (Numbers 14:1-4)
Today’s Morsel: Bad new or news that creates fear can cause you to lose heart. The children of Israel, after receiving an evil report from the spies, lost their zeal to go further. They saw the only option for them was to go back to being slaves in Egypt. We see this same theme being played out in the lives of those who backslide and walk away from God. The evil they face is sometimes too overwhelming for them to deal with, and so they lose heart. Faintheartedness can be caused by many things. Such as being overwhelmed with duty. Terrorism. Fear. Bullying. Illness. And even divorce. These things can zap our courage and cause us to see no answer for our situation. But Jesus tells us: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” (Isaiah 41:10) “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32). When David was fainthearted, after returning to Zitlag and realizing that everything he had was gone and his men spoke of stoning him, he encouraged himself in the Lord, prayed, and sought God for His help. And God heard him and delivered his enemies into his hand and returned their families to them. Sometimes when we are overwhelmed and fainthearted, we may need to check our complaint meter; as complaining causes us to become overwhelmed. Seeking God through a time of praise and allowing Him to refresh us is often the best remedy for our faintheartedness.
Sing: Because He lives, I can face tomorrow, because He lives, all fear is gone; because I know, He holds the future, my life is worth the living just because He lives.
Thought For Today: “Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.” (Numbers 14:9)
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