As a Man Carries His Son

This post is an excerpt from the Remember and Rest journal

“Where are we going up? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we. The cities are great and fortified up to heaven. And besides, we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.”’ Then I said to you, ‘Do not be in dread or afraid of them. The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ Deuteronomy 1:28-31 ESV

Here we read an account of Moses telling the Israelites of their history.  Moses is recalling a situation that happened back in Numbers 13. The Lord was sending them into a land to take, but first they sent spies to check it out.  When the spies return, we hear this story of how “great” these people are who inhabit the land. We see a scene play out in which any of us could be cast as the role of an Israelite.  I’ve echoed the language of their hearts but with different words. “This circumstance is so much bigger than what I can bear.”

What I love here is that Moses doesn’t deny the claims.  The people are big, the cities fortified. His response? Do not be afraid, the Lord fights for you.  In the middle of their great fear, their God was greater. Not only will God fight for them, Moses says, but God will carry them the way a father tenderly carries a son.  In the middle of our own fear, overwhelming circumstances, drowning sorrow, or crippling anxiety we can take heart in knowing God carries us. He cares for us like a parent tenderly, lovingly, and carefully carries a child.

Other verses to study:  Numbers 13:26-14:5, Exodus 14:14

Ways to respond:  Just as Moses reminded the people of when God carried the Israelites out of Egypt and through the wilderness, in what circumstances can you recall God carrying you?