Deuteronomy 34:10-12  There has never been another prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. The Lord sent him to perform all the miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, and all his servants, and his entire land. With mighty power, Moses performed terrifying acts in the sight of all Israel. (NLT)

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If you have ever read Exodus and Deuteronomy and wondered why Moses was so seemingly cranky at times, consider for a moment how he had seen and experienced God. 

There was the burning bush, the staff which was so much more than a walking stick, the plagues on Egypt’s gods, crossing the Red Sea on dry ground, miracle bread every workday, miracle water from rocks, clothes and shoes that didn’t wear out, a cloud to shade them during the day and a fire to guide them at night, on and on and on. 

How could anyone see all they had seen and still whine, complain, and rebel? 

Cranky Old Men and Women become Cranky Old Men and Women because arrogant young men and women don’t listen to them. The oldsters keep saying things like, “Smart people learn from their own mistakes. Truly intelligent people learn from the mistakes of others.” The youngsters keep making their own mistakes as if what happened before they arrived didn’t really matter.

The truth is, the Cranky Old Men and Women made the mistakes their parents warned them not to make. The cycle appears endless, doesn’t it? It doesn’t have to be this way. We don’t have to learn every lesson the hard way. There are some mistakes you only get to make once. There are some mistakes we should never make. 

Moses came to know God’s heart and mind to such a degree that he had full confidence in whatever God said. His Yes was on the table before God gave the next set of instructions. Whatever God wanted was better than anything Moses could have desired for himself. This is why Moses sounds cranky at times. 

How could anyone who lived through those forty years along the journey out of Egypt and into the Promised Land not trust God’s will and ways, his protection and provision?

Knowing all we know from the Bible and history, how do we still have so much trouble trusting God? Maybe it’s because history is a done deal. It’s not going to change even when people attempt to rewrite it or reinterpret it. Life is less historical and more daily. 

Theologians discuss the immutability of God. Preachers lower the bar of understanding to explain this means God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. If God is the same God who took on all the gods of Egypt and won, and everything after that, and everything before that all the way back to “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,” why do we have such a hard time living by faith?

We love posting Proverbs 3:5, 6 in framed art on the wall and stitched on pillows on the couch, but we have a much harder time doing what it says. I can trust God from the bottom of my heart while sitting on that sofa with my hot coffee and air conditioning. Everyday conversations, however, can prove problematic. Responsibilities can be challenging. Temptations can be too great. 

What would be different if we turned the lessons of the Bible into daily habits and core values? What if we lived what we say we believe? What if we trusted God the way King David describes in Psalm 23? What if we prayed in simple trust the way Jesus taught us in Matthew 6:9-13? 

God has nothing left to prove. We can trust him in every conversation, in every situation, in every challenge and possibility. 

The same verse that says, “Trust God from the bottom of your heart,” also says, “Don’t try to figure everything out on your own” (The Message). Live with a settled disposition of trust, even when you cannot understand everything going on around you or within you. 

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I will trust God from the bottom of my heart. 

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Our Father, you are the same yesterday, today, and forever. You are good all the time, and all the time, you are good. I am leaning into your goodness today. I can trust your heart. I can trust your will and ways. I can trust you for whatever I face in all of my days. Amen.