READ: Numbers 13-14
THINK:
Perspective is quite an interesting thing. Two different people can look at the exact same thing and come to wildly different conclusions. This is powerfully evident in theses chapters.
I love the phrase in this passage, loosely translated, “We felt like grasshoppers looking up at those giants, and they definitely looked at us like we were tiny little shrimps.” The thing about this is, it is undeniably true. From what we know of the Nephilim they were significantly larger than the Israelites. And not only that, but they had some skilled and experienced warriors. The Israelites, on the other hand, had a bunch of dudes who had spent their entire lives as slaves making bricks all day. It really was a bunch of gigantic warriors versus a bunch of puny ex-slave nomads.
So, there wasn’t anything wrong at all with the description that the 10 spies gave to the people upon their return. They were spot on! What was wrong, then? Their conclusion! The 10 said, “Yikes, these guys are fierce looking and huge and they would really smoke us in a straight up fight.” The 2 said, “Let’s go defeat these guys and take the land!” They saw the exact same thing but 10 panicked and 2 responded confidently.
Why the difference? Perspective. See, 10 of the guys looked at the giants and compared them to themselves. Joshua and Caleb looked at the giants and compared them to God. That makes a massive difference! Faith turns its focus from the greatness of the difficulty ahead to the greatness of God. Faith doesn’t deny that the challenge is big – even too big sometimes – but it always remembers that God is bigger. The old adage that “God will never give you more than you can handle” sounds nice but it isn’t true. Not even close. There was absolutely zero chance that the Israelites could handle the people of Canaan. God frequently brings us to or allows us to experience more than we can handle. But God will never give you more than he can handle. That’s the key. And it’s a whole different perspective.
No matter what you face in this life – no matter the size of the challenges – never compare them to yourself and your own abilities. You’ll only see that you’re too small. Instead, compare them to the size of your God and experience the peace and confidence of a fearless faith in a powerful and loving God. If he is for us, who can be against us?
PRAY: Ask God to help you look at things with the right perspective, and thank him that you can completely trust him through all the storms and difficulties of your life. Worship God for his sovereignty today.
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