Our first discussion series will be Lent: 40 Days in the Desert. We’ll be covering topics ranging from the Israelites wandering the desert to reach the promised land to the temptation of Jesus in the desert to general thoughts on the season of Lent.
They quarreled with Moses and said, "If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord! Why did you bring the Lord's community into this desert, that we and our livestock should die here? Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!"
-Numbers 20:3-5
Over and over, in seemingly every chapter I've read for the last several weeks, the Israelites have been complaining, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!" (Numbers 21:5) After all God had done for them from bringing them out of slavery to raining down manna from heaven every night for them to eat, all they could do was whine and disobey the rules he clearly set out for them even to the point of worshipping other gods. God was obviously and rightfully frustrated with them and wanted to wipe them all out multiple times, but he didn't. The Israelites were really pretty lucky that their only punishment was 40 years in the desert without seeing the promised land. God clearly wanted and could have easily caused much worse.
I imagine it's similar with us today. God has provided me with far more than just food and clothing and shelter. Yet I often complain about petty things. Even though I know God is full of forgiveness and grace, I can picture him rolling his eyes at me the same way he must have at the Israelites every time I have a pity party for myself.
One of the side notes in the Student Bible edition of the New International Version mentions how people often wonder why God doesn't show himself more clearly to us the way he did back in Biblical times with big shows like speaking from burning bushes and severe plagues foretold by prophets. It then goes on to point out that it didn't matter that he was so clearly present. People still doubted him and disobeyed just as much then as they do now. I thought that was a really intriguing way of looking at things, and something to really think about.
It's amazing to read that these people could doubt Moses was doing God's work when they could see him always off talking to God, and it's amazing that they doubted that God had their best interest in mind by taking them out into the desert after the miracle of parting the Red Sea. If they couldn't see it, it's no wonder people find it difficult today when it's not so obvious. Or maybe it is obvious and we look right past it just the way they did.
Discussion Starters:
- Why is it so hard to be grateful sometimes?
- Why is there not always a connection between knowing you're fortunate and truly feeling that you are?
- Why do you think God doesn’t show his presence in the same ways as he once did in Biblical times?
- What do you feel are some obvious signs of God's presence in modern times that people just disregard?
Answers:
* We are horrible sinners.
* See answer 1.
* Because he thought of something better for us: a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.
* Nothing is obvious until God moves in your life. Faith can still move mountains.
Somthing that comforts me when I think about how far away I am from God's plan many times, is Jesus telling his disciples that they should have more faith, because he was right in front of them and others would not be, but would believe the same. He told them that they (we) would have more faith, because we couldn't see his miracles first hand. I think this is a great shout out from the Man to keep us going when we don't think we are doing well enough to live up to God's standards for our lives.
It's easy for us to fall back into a pattern of ungratefulness when we don't look for the obvious signs of God.
We become ungrateful because we simply stop looking for God in every day life. One of the best things I ever heard was someone talking about "Everyday Miracles." These are the obvious things that God gives us everyday, like a baby being born, that near-miss at the intersection, even the sun rising and setting, these are EVERY DAY miracles, and we let them pass us by because we are too busy "wanting bread," or "worshiping idols" (or ourselves).
It is when we do stop and look for the presence of God, that we will see it. When we stop and reflect on our lives, when we do as John Wesley encouraged Methodists to do daily:
Ask ourselves, "Was God the last thought upon my sleeping and the first thought upon waking?"
That is keeping the presence of God before us!
That will keep us from missing the obvious and help us to appreciate the gifts that are before us.
In response to Martin’s thoughts on God not revealing himself in the same sort of obvious way because of our relationship with Jesus through the Holy Spirit: That relationship is great, and it is personal, but wouldn’t it be amazing if we actually physically saw God? Maybe not his face since some of the scriptures I’ve read seem to say we would die if we saw him in that way, but if there was some physical sense of his presence like when he appeared in clouds and fire and sent angels and visions. I don’t really believe he’ll provide those types of showy signs to us anymore (not that he couldn’t if he wanted to), but I don’t fully understand why Jesus negated the need for these things. Him rising from the dead was the greatest miracle of all, but none of us personally saw it, and it’s been 2,000 years so you’d think we might get some refresher signs or something. But it also makes sense like I said before that obvious proof does not necessarily equate belief. Martin had a very good point about the disciples being told they needed more faith. Just like the Israelites, if they couldn’t believe strongly enough with all that proof, who could?
In response to Mary’s thoughts about looking for the presence of God and keeping him our first and last thoughts every day: I have noticed since I’ve been doing daily Bible study, I am more focused on God all the time, not just during the study time. Things like road rage and frustration with work have been much less noticeable. I also spend a lot less time feeling sorry for myself or beating myself up over little things like not losing weight as quickly as I want to or not being as far along in a career as I expected to be at this point. Changing my focus is helping me mellow, and that’s a good thing.