Giants in the Land

And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the Israelites 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. 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. Yet the people who live in the land are strong, and the towns are fortified and very large; and besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites live in the land of the Negeb; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live by the sea, and along the Jordan."

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." Then the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against this people, for they are stronger than we." So they brought to the Israelites an unfavorable report of the land that they had spied out, saying, "The land that we have gone through as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people that we saw in it are of great size. Numbers 13: 26-32 (NRSV)

As George T. Wilkerson, from North Carolina, reflected on today's scripture reading, he realized that we can approach our problems in two ways: we can either compare ourselves to the problem or compare the problem to God. In the readings, 12 leaders of the Israelites community were sent to explore the land of Canaan that God had promised the Israelites. On their return, the Israelite spies described the giants they found in the land that flows with milk and honey. Ten of the spies said, "We can't attack those people, they are stronger than we are" (Num. 13:31). Assessing their chance at victory, they relied on human logic and strength rather than having faith in God's promise. When they compared themselves to giants, they were sure they would lose. Instead, Caleb and Joshua trusted God. Caleb said, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it." They measured the giants against God.

We face many giants - problems, temptations, and tests that are too big for us to defeat on our own. But even the biggest giants are puny when we measure them against God. This knowledge fills George with hope and encourages him to trust in God because he knows God will prevail. How about you? Do you trust your cares to God?

Prayer: Dear God, we put our trust in you. Remind us that nothing we experience in this life is too big for you to handle, in Jesus' name. Amen.