Surrendering Doubts, Fears, and Comforts to Fulfill God’s Mission
Explore how surrendering doubts, fears, and comforts allows us to fulfill God’s mission. Using Numbers 13:17-14:12, this blog calls us to live by faith, not fear, and embrace God’s command to spread His light to the world, no matter the challenges.
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17 Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan and said to them, “Go up into the Negeb and go up into the hill country, 18 and see what the land is, and whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, whether they are few or many, 19 and whether the land that they dwell in is good or bad, and whether the cities that they dwell in are camps or strongholds, 20 and whether the land is rich or poor, and whether there are trees in it or not. Be of good courage and bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.
21 So they went up and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, near Lebo-hamath. 22 They went up into the Negeb and came to Hebron. Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were there. (Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23 And they came to the Valley of Eshcol and cut down from there a branch with a single cluster of grapes, and they carried it on a pole between two of them; they also brought some pomegranates and figs. 24 That place was called the Valley of Eshcol,[a] because of the cluster that the people of Israel cut down from there.
Report of the Spies
25 At the end of forty days they returned from spying out the land. 26 And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the people of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh. They brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 And they told him, “We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negeb. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country. And the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and along the Jordan.”
30 But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” 31 Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” 32 So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. 33 And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”
The People Rebel
14 Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night. 2 And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” 4 And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”
5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the people of Israel. 6 And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” 10 Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones. But the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the people of Israel.
11 And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them? 12 I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”
If You Hear God’s Voice
“We exist to glorify God and to make disciples of Jesus Christ among all people.”
When we look at our mission statement, we must recognize that we’re in a season of preparing for God’s mission. Just as the Israelites were in a season of preparing to go into a land to fulfill God’s promises, we’re in a similar place.
There are people all around the world who are trapped in spiritual darkness, and they’re not always in easy places to go. Whether that’s in our backyard, such as inner-city Memphis, or places such as Afghanistan, North Africa, or the Middle East, many live in places where there are spiritual giants. These are places of turmoil where giants freely roam; thus, our passage, Numbers 13:17-14:12, is highly relevant.
Years ago, I had the opportunity to hear a community developer from Atlanta speak on the importance of relocating to communities that we’re going to serve so we can live among and learn from them. He shared stories of hardship and what it was like when he lived in inner-city communities. At the end of the talk, he opened the room for questioning. A lady raised her hand and said, “I feel the Lord calling me to live in inner city Memphis, but I’m a single mom with three young children. I’m fearful that I’m putting my children in harm’s way as I try to fulfill the mission God called me to. What is your advice?” The speaker didn’t give an immediate response.
Several weeks later, I studied Hebrews 3 and noticed a refrain shared multiple times in that chapter. It read:
“Today, if you hear my voice, do not harden your heart as in the days of the wilderness.”
The words jumped off the page at me. I knew it had to be important, so I cross-referenced the verse. It’s a quote from Psalm 95, where David teaches the Israelites to worship and surrender to God. But Psalm 95 says it a little differently:
“Today, if you hear my voice, do not harden your heart as in the days of Meribah.”
Meribah is referenced in Numbers 13 and 14, and it explains why Israel’s men rebelled against God and refused to fulfill His mission for them. “Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become prey” (Numbers 14:3). Their justification for disobeying God was to protect their families.
My mind went back to that woman’s question. I know what I would say if I saw her again: “Today if you hear God’s voice, don’t harden your heart as in the days of the wilderness.”
The story in Numbers becomes normative in the Bible. It’s repeatedly told as a reminder that God will send us to difficult places. In Luke 10, when Jesus sent out the disciples, He told them, “Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves (Luke 10:3).” God knows the difficulties of this world. He knows there are people in rebellion and governments that are torn apart. He knows there are wars and famines. God tells us to go into those places of spiritual darkness to be the light of Christ.
God has a plan to redeem a people for Himself from among every tribe, tongue, and nation on Earth. He’s doing that through us as His ambassadors. He’s sending us into the world to make His appeal for people to be reconciled to Him through the blood of Jesus Christ. He’s making that appeal through us as His Church. He’s sending us, Christ Methodist Church, into the land of the giants.
Faith, Not Fear
This text reminds us not to live by fear but by faith. We are not to doubt God but to faithfully follow Him.
On the way to the Promised Land, the Israelites repeatedly got frustrated and recalled what they had in Egypt. They grew tired of God’s manna and longed for the food they had in Egypt. God delivered them from slavery, but now they were facing new hardship, and they could only remember the comforts of Egypt.
We are not to seek the comforts of Egypt. It’s human nature to seek a comfortable lifestyle, but we must overcome their distractions with comfort.
As parents, we want the best for our children. No parent wants to see their children undergo difficult seasons. That’s part of the reason we encourage them to pursue careers that can provide them stability. As we raise our children,, we must help them prioritize service to God over lifestyle choices. I have worked with many faithful doctors who have committed to healing the sick in service to God, often forgoing “the comforts of Egypt” to serve the poor and the unreached.
Let’s be clear: There’s nothing wrong with encouraging our children to become doctors. But what if God calls them to be missionary doctors, to serve Him through their vocation? We must encourage them to use their gifts and talents to serve God.
Many medical students graduate with hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loans, and they’re considering serving as missionaries where they’ll likely have to ask for financial support as physicians when many in their graduating class dream of their future beach house.
“Today, if you hear my voice, do not harden your heart as in the days of the wilderness.”
The world will tempt us with its comfort. If we’re going to raise our children to prioritize God’s calling, we cannot be consumed with the idea of comfort or insecurity. We must model for our children to live by faith and not fear. God could’ve done things differently for the Israelites. He could’ve sent the men to conquer the land and return for their families. Instead, He sent the men in together. He did this because He wants us to model how to live. We’re all born into spiritual darkness (Romans 3:23), and we must be taught how to live by faith and not by fear.
The Call to Surrender
After the people rebel against God, they’re sent into the wilderness for 40 years. The generation that refused to obey God’s command was sentenced to die in the wilderness. The women and children, the ones they were trying to protect, were the ones who took the land. They were the faithful ones. Caleb was allowed to survive the wilderness because of His faithfulness. He entered the Promised Land because he reminded the people that we obey God not by our own strength but by God’s power.
Caleb’s strength remained with him until the day he died. He remained as strong and faithful to the Lord at 80 as he was at 40. He was given a city to dwell in, in the land of God’s promise.
The word God calls us to will be difficult, but He’s not calling us to do it alone. In the New Testament, whenever we see God’s people going out on mission, there is someone with them. God never sent them out alone. Paul had Barnabas, Titus, Timothy, or Silas. We’re not sent out as lone rangers. God goes with us. The Holy Spirit indwells us. We’re covered by the blood of Lamb, who was slain for the forgiveness of our sins. Jesus Christ is with us.
God wants to send us out as a community to do His work and to go together into places of spiritual darkness to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ so that God can be glorified. When we hear stories of great saints on the mission field, it’s not that the missionary is amazing for their sacrifice; it’s that God is amazing, and He’s displaying His glory and splendor through their willingness to surrender to God’s mission.
The mission of God is about God gaining glory through our service and surrender. There’s joy in obedience. Our prayer is that we live by faith and not fear, that we release all of the doubts and comforts that harden our hearts so that we might obey God and engage in His mission to the world.
Lord, help me to let go of my fears. Help me surrender my heart's doubts, fears, and comforts to you. Help me open my heart to following your calling for my life. Help us as the Christ Methodist congregation, open our hearts to where you lead us. We know you want us to make disciples among all peoples, both here in the city and among the nations. Help us open our hearts to you, not to exert our self-will and think that we know what is right, but to surrender to Jesus and His mission. Remind us that as we do, we will experience peace and joy like we’ve never experienced before to see your goodness among the nations. Amen.
