Impatience can bread complaining and questioning God’s motives. In your time of impatience do you ever ask God why this or that is happening instead of thanking Him? Even though the Lord provides your every need, are you still wanting something different?
Again we learn a lesson from the Nation of Israel in Numbers 21:4-9. The people are impatient, complaining and assuming the intention of God and Moses (the middleman) was to bring them to ruin. God’s will was to “de-Egyptianize” His chosen people’s hearts during their time in the desert.
The Jewish people grumble that they do not have food (or water); however, they do; yet it isn’t the kind they desired. They are discontent calling God’s provision “worthless” manna.
God brings judgment upon some of the protestors that day – deadly snake bites. This reality brought the surviving onlookers to run to Moses, admitting they too had sinned in speaking evil against the Lord. The Jewish people’s confession clearly demonstrates that those remaining alive did not want the same kind of judgment to fall upon them as it did on the others.
But what were these men and women’s motivation for confession? Was it the fact that they did not want a broken relationship with God or was it that they didn’t want to die?
Whatever their heart posture was, God provided The Way out of their sinful mess – to look upon the bronze serpent and live!
We wouldn’t dare say aloud that God’s provision is “worthless,” but that is exactly what is going on in our heart in our times of impatience.
The Old Testament bronze serpent was a foreshowing of Jesus on the cross (John 3:14). Jesus is our sinless middleman ever interceding for us (Hebrews 7:25). We are to look to Jesus and live (Hebrews 12:2).
God has provided everything we need through Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:3). When we remember the invaluable relationship we have with God because of The Son’s perfect sacrifice on our behalf, our first response will be thankfulness – even in desert times.
God’s desire is to get “the world” out of us (Romans 12:2). He will do whatever it takes in order for His purposes to prevail (Proverbs 19:21). His provision is based on His terms, not ours. God wants us to desire His manna more than the temporal satisfaction of something different (John 6:35).
Questioning God’s motives for why he allows this or that ought not to be our question in times of impatience. God’s ways are always perfect and higher than ours (Psalm 18:30, Isaiah 55:8-9). We should, instead, direct all questions to our imperfect hearts – Why am I being impatient? How is God providing? What do I want instead of what God is already providing? How can I show God I am thankful with this manna?
By examining our heart with such questions, a time of sweet confession will naturally follow as we look to Jesus – turning our impatience to thankfulness – for His bread that always satisfies (1 Thessalonians 5:18, Isaiah 58:11, Matthew 4:4).