Have you ever gotten stuck in a slump? That slump can be on or off the court.
This week’s devotional comes from an Instagram post by @AussieDave. Through this account, Dave Adamson posts inspiring messages that are designed to help grow your faith and look at Jesus in a new way!
Enjoy!
Are you stuck in a dry season?
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The fourth book of the Bible is the Book of Numbers. The reason we call it Numbers in English is that the book begins with a census of the Israelites and the tribe of Levi—with numbers being counted. The Hebrew word we translate as “Numbers” in the Bible is “Bamidbar” (במדבר, pronounced “ba-meed-bar”), which means “in the wilderness”.
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It's called “Bamidbar” because the opening sentence reads; “The LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness …”.
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There are two things I think most followers of Jesus miss when they read this opening sentence of Numbers. The first is that in Hebrew the word for “wilderness” is “midbar” (מדבר pronounced “mid-bawr”), which shares the same root as the Hebrew word for “speak” which is “medaber” (לדבר, pronounced “meh-dah-ber”). You can see the last three letters are the same.
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The second thing we often miss is that God STILL speaks to his people when we’re in the wilderness. When life gets tough, God gets talkative.
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We miss this because we get so focussed on the problems we’re facing in our wilderness, that it’s easy to overlook what God is doing in our wilderness. As author and podcaster @AnnieFDowns reminds us, “... life is not a matter of finding our way out of the wilderness but finding the manna inside the wilderness”. God is always doing something for us when were in the wilderness, we just need to look for it.
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But often when we’re in a tough season, we look for a way out. But, as I’ve said before, when you’re facing a tough, stressful, painful situation, don’t ask God WHEN can I get out of this desert, ask God WHAT can I get out of this desert.
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If you’re in a wilderness right now, I am praying God will speak to you today. Moses and the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years. What should have taken them days took a lifetime for some. If you are in the wilderness, remember two things:
1 - God provides, even in the desert.
2 - God will eventually get you out of the desert if you just keep walking
But the LORD can also turn deserts into lakes and scorched land into flowing streams. — Psalm 107:35
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
1 - When you are stuck in the wilderness, what do you do or can you do to get out?
2 - When I get stuck, I write down 3-5 things that I need to do, and I mark them off my list as I do them. What is something you need to complete and cross out on your list?
3 - When I get stuck and can’t get anything done, I have a few people that I can call and they help me take the next step. Who is someone you can call when you are stuck and need help taking the next step?
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