Trials in the Wilderness
Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us.” Exodus 32:1
As Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the law of God, the people chose another god. They created a golden calf to replace the God who created them. They perceived that God had abandoned them. By all rights God could have destroyed them for such disobedience, and in fact He threatened this very thing. However, He was true to His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and relented. He chose to remain with His people.
There are times that we may feel abandoned by God. We may despair when our health is compromised. We may become overwhelmed by grief when a loved one dies. We may wither in the face of adversity or financial struggles. In such times, we are tempted to find a different source of solace and confidence, replacing God in the number one position in our hearts. However, God is faithful in His promises to you. Jesus says, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) Through the apostle Paul He also says, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13) Why turn anywhere else than such a God as this?
Lord, give us such a faith as this;
And then whate’er may come,
We’ll taste e’en now the hallowed bliss
Of an eternal home.
The Lutheran Hymnal 396:6