• Home
  • About This Blog
  • Contact Me
  • Subscribe
  • Comment Policy

Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

  • Westminster Shorter Catechism Series
  • Sermon on the Mount Series
Home Bible Reflection The Antidote for Fear, Grumbling and Myopia

The Antidote for Fear, Grumbling and Myopia

Posted on March 29, 2011 Written by Mark McIntyre 3 Comments


MyopiaThe Bible presents life as it really is. Scripture stories are about people who do the same stupid things that I find myself doing. I am encouraged by this.

In Exodus 17 we have the Nation of Israel in the desert and in need of water. This is a real need, especially in an arid climate. The need is not the problem. How the people went about getting that need met became an issue.

These are the same people who had witnessed the plagues that bought their freedom. These are the same people who saw the water of the Red Sea parted so that they could cross. These are the same people who followed the cloud which gave them shade in the day. These are the same people who camped near the pillar which would provide warmth and light through cold desert nights. The point is that the God that they followed had a track record of meeting their needs in a spectacular way.

Like us (perhaps I should only speak for myself, but I don’t think I’m alone in this) Israel gave in to fear and started grumbling against Moses and against God. Their fear caused them to forget the past provision and the promise that God would see them through to the promised land. They even went so far as to declare that they would have been better off in slavery!

There was a choice made, conscious or not, to see only the immediate problem. They were near sighted and could not see beyond their circumstances. Sound familiar? It does for me. They should have had a bigger view, but they were too much like us. Spiritual myopia is not a new problem.

The great news is that God did provide for their need of water in a miraculous way, in spite of their grumbling and rebellion. He will do the same for us.

So then, what is the antidote to fear, grumbling and myopia?

  1. The antidote to fear is trust. I need to trust in the God who has been found faithful. He has made promises to me that he will fulfill.
  2. The antidote to grumbling is thankfulness. I need to thank God for his provision and learn to be content in that provision.
  3. The antidote to spiritual myopia is Scripture. The Bible allows me to focus on a bigger perspective I need to see God at work in me and in my world.

In Matthew 6, we are promised that our needs (not our wants) will be met. In some of his last words from Earth, Jesus tells us that he will always be with us in Matthew 28:20. These are two promises out of many where God declares his good intent toward us who believe.

I do not need to manipulate God or others to get my needs met. I do need to bring my needs to my Heavenly Father and trust that he will meet them in his time and in his way. He can handle it.

Technorati Tags: fear,grumbling,God,trust,myopia,Israel


Filed Under: Bible Reflection Tagged With: Fear, God, Israel

About Mark McIntyre

A follower of Jesus Christ who shares observations about how Scripture should impact the church and the world. Mark is the original author and editor of Attempts at Honesty.

Follow Attempts at Honesty

Honesty in your Inbox

One Another

One Another

If we did a better job of “one anothering” those outside the church, perhaps those on the outside would see less of our failures and more of Jesus.

Along the right paths

One of the advantages of reading a different version of the Bible, one that you are not familiar with, is that a different reading can trigger an insight that you never saw before. This happened to me this morning as I read Psalm 23 in the Christian Standard Bible. In that translation the verse 3 […]

Stormy Heavens

When the heavens are silent

Sometimes it seems that our prayers bounce off the ceiling. How should we respond when Heaven is silent? Some thoughts on why God might not answer.

LInks

Some links to consider – 8/13/2014

Most of the stuff I read on the internet I get through RSS subscriptions and I scan through that list using Feedly. When I find an article or post that I like, I often will post links to that article on social media. I’m rethinking that strategy and will occasionally post a list of articles that speak to the issues that the church is facing, theological discussion or other topics that could be helpful to the readers of Attempts at Honesty. This is the first such post.

On giving offense

Nowhere can you find Jesus indicating that ideas don’t matter and any belief is acceptable as long as it is firmly held. On every page of the gospel accounts, Jesus says something that is deemed intolerant by our society.

Post Series

  • Westminster Shorter Catechism Series
  • Sermon on the Mount Series

Categories

Archives

Blogger Grid
Follow me on Blogarama

Copyright © 2022 · Focus Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in