Posts tagged “God’s Provision”

Mistaken Measurements

 

The LORD answered Moses, “Is the LORD’s arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you.” (Numbers 11:23)
After my brief detour, we return to mathematical concepts. I’ve been waiting to get to this short verse. But to get there, we had to understand the source of Moses’ exasperation that leads to this response from God. We had to understand the depth of the people’s lack of trust, misplaced expectations and penchant for loud complaining and wailing. And we had to understand God’s response to them, that He would give them so much of what they asked for that they wouldn’t be able to stand it any more.
The people have long grown weary of manna. They have thumbed their noses at God’s excellent provision. And they demand to be served meat. God tells them to get ready, get set, meat is coming out their thumbed noses. And Moses is beside himself. He is trying so hard. Trying to lead the people, trying to follow God, trying to do both at the same time, and everywhere he turns it turns into a disaster. God, he says, now what? You just promised them more meat than they can stand. Where in the desert am I going to come up with that now?
God, what were You thinking? Why do You promise stuff like that? You know where I am. I’m in the middle of the desert with over 600,000 men alone. We’re in the middle of nowhere. Even if we slaughtered all the flocks and all the herds we could find, it wouldn’t be enough to feed that many people for a month. If we caught all the fish in the sea, which You know we couldn’t do, it wouldn’t be enough. How am I supposed to fix this? What have You gotten me into this time?
God just answers with a question. The famous question-as-answer style He is still so good at. 
Is My arm too short?
Stand and watch, Moses, as you have had the privilege to do so many times already. Stand and watch. See if I don’t come through once again. 
Is My arm too short?
You know, sometimes my arm is too short. I can’t do all the things I want to be able to do. I can’t not do all the things I don’t want to do. I come up short. I fail. Miserably. Painfully. Desperately. My arm is way too short.
God’s saying His arm is not too short. There’s just something wrong with our measuring stick. We need to get that checked out. My arm is long enough, He says. It’s as long as you need it to be. I can reach you. No matter where you are. No matter what you need. No matter how far you have gone from Me, My arm is not too short. 
I can reach you. 
I can rescue you. I can save you. I can bring you back.
Can I tell you something today? Sometimes I really don’t believe His arm is not too short. Sometimes I want to believe it is, I want to believe that so badly. But I think I’m just out of reach. That His arm is just not quite that long. I can see the tips of His fingers, but He’s still a few inches shy of really reaching me. And I don’t know if that’s because I believe His arm is too short or because I think He’s leaning back a little. As though He could reach me if He wanted to, but He’s pulling back. As though He doesn’t want to.
Of course that’s not true. His arm is not too short. The Word says it’s not and history tells us it’s not. And I’ll sit here and tell you all day long that His arm is not too short because I know that to be true, no matter how I’m feeling today. No matter how short His arm looks at the moment. It is my measuring tool that is out of whack. And I do need to have it checked out.
His arm is sufficiently long to reach me. And He really won’t lean away.
::

The LORD answered Moses, “Is the LORD’s arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you.” (Numbers 11:23)

 

After my brief detour, we return to mathematical concepts. I’ve been waiting to get to this short verse. But to get there, we had to understand the source of Moses’ exasperation that leads to this response from God. We had to understand the depth of the people’s lack of trust, misplaced expectations and penchant for loud complaining and wailing. And we had to understand God’s response to them, that He would give them so much of what they asked for that they wouldn’t be able to stand it any more.

The people have long grown weary of manna. They have thumbed their noses at God’s excellent provision. And they demand to be served meat. God tells them to get ready, get set, meat is coming out their thumbed noses. And Moses is beside himself. He is trying so hard. Trying to lead the people, trying to follow God, trying to do both at the same time, and everywhere he turns it turns into a disaster. God, he says, now what? You just promised them more meat than they can stand. Where in the desert am I going to come up with that now?

God, what were You thinking? Why do You promise stuff like that? You know where I am. I’m in the middle of the desert with over 600,000 men alone. We’re in the middle of nowhere. Even if we slaughtered all the flocks and all the herds we could find, it wouldn’t be enough to feed that many people for a month. If we caught all the fish in the sea, which You know we couldn’t do, it wouldn’t be enough. How am I supposed to fix this? What have You gotten me into this time?

God just answers with a question. The famous question-as-answer style He is still so good at. 

Is My arm too short?

Stand and watch, Moses, as you have had the privilege to do so many times already. Stand and watch. See if I don’t come through once again. 

Is My arm too short?

You know, sometimes my arm is too short. I can’t do all the things I want to be able to do. I can’t not do all the things I don’t want to do. I come up short. I fail. Miserably. Painfully. Desperately. My arm is way too short.

God’s saying His arm is not too short. There’s just something wrong with our measuring stick. We need to get that checked out. My arm is long enough, He says. It’s as long as you need it to be. I can reach you. No matter where you are. No matter what you need. No matter how far you have gone from Me, My arm is not too short. 

I can reach you. 

I can rescue you. I can save you. I can bring you back.

Can I tell you something today? Sometimes I really don’t believe His arm is not too short. Sometimes I want to believe it is, I want to believe that so badly. But I think I’m just out of reach. That His arm is just not quite that long. I can see the tips of His fingers, but He’s still a few inches shy of really reaching me. And I don’t know if that’s because I believe His arm is too short or because I think He’s leaning back a little. As though He could reach me if He wanted to, but He’s pulling back. As though He doesn’t want to.

Of course that’s not true. His arm is not too short. The Word says it’s not and history tells us it’s not. And I’ll sit here and tell you all day long that His arm is not too short because I know that to be true, no matter how I’m feeling today. No matter how short His arm looks at the moment. It is my measuring tool that is out of whack. And I do need to have it checked out.

His arm is sufficiently long to reach me. And He really won’t lean away.

::

2008/09/22 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment »