Following a Bad Example

In recent days I have watched God do some amazing things for me. After years of teaching instability, I finally have a permanent job where I know I don’t have to move schools again or change grades. It was a job I never expected to have offered to me and God made it all come together! God even worked out an awesome grade group team for me. All this after me worrying about the matter for a considerable length of time.

What do I do? I continue to follow the bad example of the Israelites.

They saw God do so many mighty things to help them escape slavery in Egypt. On top of that they saw God provide for all their needs like food and water, for example. Yet, what did they Israelites do? They doubted. They fretted. When Moses went up Mount Sinai for an extended period of time, they lost it. Foolishly they took some bad advice and made a golden calf – a god of gold. How could they possibly think that God wouldn’t have their backs after they had seen such incredible miracles such as parting the Red Sea?

The Israelites just kept getting into messes. They doubted God’s provision. They hurt themselves so much by their lack of trust.

How was I following this bad example? I took one piece of not so good news – not getting my educational assistant for the next year – as a sign that things were not going to be well with me. I imagined all kinds of scenarios where I ended up with an assistant who didn’t match my style, with students with whom I would have trouble coping.

I tell you; God must have been chuckling to see me run around in circles. Why didn’t I just trust that He would have it all under control. He got me the job, why wouldn’t He work out the rest of the classroom details?

The devil likes to get under our skin and pry at those areas where we feel tenuous. Mine is definitely my job situation in recent years. I am sure that you can think of a few areas in your own life where it easier to lose trust than in others.

I am very grateful that our loving Heavenly Father doesn’t leave us wandering in the desert. There is hope for us, just as there was hope for the Israelites who eventually entered the Promised Land.

God doesn’t always work things out in our lives the way we think they should go. He does, however, work out the details of our lives in a way that He knows will benefit us in the long run.

Trust is a tough one. So many things in this world break our trust. Yet, we must remember, that God is different. He always keeps His word – every time!

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