The NIV 365-Day Devotional Reading PlanSample

Tainted Trust

God instructs Moses: “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites” (Numbers 13:2). The recon team spends forty days in stealthy exploration. They return to camp with good news and bad news. It’s a land flowing with milk and honey, they say . . . but a fierce street gang who call themselves the Anakim roam the neighborhood . . .

Fearless Caleb speaks up and says, “Let’s go wipe ’em out and seize the territory!” His intimidated cohorts protest, “No way! They’ll have us for breakfast.” The Israelite community vacillates, then starts weeping and wailing . . . They believe in God. They have faith in Yahweh, and yet — because of fear of the Anakim — they abandon hope in his promise that they will take possession of Canaan. With the exception of Moses, Aaron and Caleb, despair contaminates the Chosen People. Confronted with stronger battalions, faced with apparently insuperable obstacles, they allow their trust in Yahweh’s guidance and protection to collapse. But faith in God without hope in his promises is tainted trust.

How well we know the Israelites’ conundrum. Hesitation and uncertainty prevail. The craving for tangible reassurance of God’s faithfulness increases. We press for more convincing proofs of abiding, divine presence. When they are not forthcoming, we decide to take control. Safety is our only passion. In a spiritual life charged with ambiguity, we cannot afford to make mistakes. Endless analysis replaces creative action. The willingness to risk is submerged in a raging sea of nagging doubts. We must have absolute clarity before we can proceed.

What we have failed to learn is that clarity, reassurance and proof cannot create trust, sustain it or guarantee any certainty of its presence.

Taken from NIV Ragamuffin Bible