But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in Me enough to honor Me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them” (Numbers 20:12).
Oh Father, how we miss out on Your best when we do not trust in You! Deliver us from the temptations and from the evil that would lead us into costly disobedience. We thank You for the things in Your word that were written down as warnings for us so that we can be "careful that [we] don't fall" (1 Corinthians 10:11).
We know that You are a compassionate and forgiving God, but You call us to holiness, and You hold us accountable. The apostle Peter tells us in Acts 10:34 "Truthfully I perceive that God is no respecter of persons" (MEV) ("shows no partiality" NKJV). And he tells us in 1 Peter 1:17, "Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear."
Father, even Your servant Moses "whom the Lord knew face to face" (Deuteronomy 34:10) missed out on the fulfilment of Your promise because He lost trust. Lord, this does not reveal You as a harsh God as some claim, but as a holy God who call us to obedience; a loving God who desires the best for us.
You know completely all the opportunities we will forfeit, all the blessings we will miss when we choose our own path instead of Yours. Your "way is perfect," Your "word is flawless" (Psalm 18:30). Our judgment is faulty, our ideas shortsighted—oh save us from ourselves!
Help us to honor You in reverent fear, mindful of the words You spoke through the prophet Samuel, "Those who honor Me I will honor, but those who despise Me will be disdained" (1 Samuel 2:30). Help us never to despise You in word, in thought, or in action. Help us to "ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering and come before Him." Help us to "worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness" (1 Chronicles 16:29).
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