Following God

Today I read Joshua 13:17-15:19 and John 14. My favorite verses are:

Joshua 14:8 Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God.

John 14:8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.

Following God wholeheartedly is very important for His children. The first time the Children of Israel made it to the Promised Land, they sent 12 spies to “check it out”. Two of them, Joshua and Caleb, were eager to obey God and follow Him into the land which He had promised to give them. The other ten “made the heart of the people melt” by saying there were giants and fortified cities that they could not possibly conquer. They did not trust God because they were afraid. After wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, all the older generation had died except for Joshua and Caleb. They were still ready to follow God and claim the Promised Land for their own, and God kept His promise to them. The twelve apostles in the New Testament walked with Jesus in the flesh, but they still did not follow God wholeheartedly. When Jesus told them that He was going to the Father, they were afraid and questioned what they would do without Him. He assured them that He and the Father would be with them still, but Philip said, “show us the Father”. They wanted to see God for themselves and did not understand that in seeing Jesus they were seeing God. Our faith today is probably still as weak as that of the Israelites of the Old Testament and the apostles of the New Testament. No matter how much God does for us, we can’t seem to trust Him long term to take care of us when we face things that are new and different and frightening. God has not changed through the centuries; His promises are true, and He keeps His word. We need to believe and trust and obey in every circumstance of our lives.