In Numbers, chapter fourteen, verse eleven, God asks Moses a question. He says roughly to His servant, “How long will these people provoke me?” How long will it be after all the signs shown to the people of Israel up to this point, they respond in rebellion? At the heart of the Israelites, the reaction is unbelief. This behavior grew out of failure to remember God’s past faithfulness, to trust Him as their Lord, and to believe Him according to His Word. Trusting God is the antidote to unbelief.
The fruit of unbelief, like the root itself, is unfavorable and destructive, which blocks the fulfillment of God’s promises. The reaffirmation of God’s covenant promises came to Abraham and his descendants through Moses. God instructed Moses to select one representative from each of the twelve tribes. Instead of believing in the integrity of God and His Word, they responded negatively to unbelief, which results in low self-esteem. Unbelief robs us of who we are in God.
To believe in God means to trust Him and His Word, accept what He says as the truth and act accordingly, anchor your life on His promises, walk in His ways, and love Him with all of your heart and soul. The presence of faith is the way to being accepted by God and counted righteously before Him: the absence of faith condemns us. All of us live life and have our ups and downs. However, it is so easy to forget what people have done for us to get to this point, especially for the people of God.
The Israelites quickly forget where God brought them out from Egypt, where they were suffering at the hands of Pharoah. Sometimes Christians do not remember how God kept them in the past but only focus on the moment. However, there would be no now if He did not deliver us back then. Still, some people do not recall or care to be grateful for past blessings. If God did it before, He’s capable of doing it again. Yet, our approach to the matter could affect the outcome. Believers must be careful how we behave with God during times of difficulty.