The Importance Of Following God's Plan
by Dan Jones, M.D.
Numbers 13:30-32
Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it."
But the men who had gone up with him said, "We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are." And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, "The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.
What does God expect of us when the circumstances are difficult? The circumstances were certainly very difficult for the Hebrew people. The scouts had been into Canaan and came back with the report that indeed the land was bountiful, but the occupants were powerful and well armed. The scripture contrasts two responses to the circumstances noted. The difference is not in the circumstances, but in the response of the observers.
Most of the scouts argued against an attempt to enter the land because the people there “are stronger than we are”. Seeing the same circumstances, Caleb urged a decision to invade immediately. Caleb had confidence that the task could be accomplished because of his faith in God and His promise to fulfill His plan in the lives of the Hebrew people.
It is difficult to have such confidence in the face of illogical odds. In 1990, Saddam Hussein was attacking Kurdish Communities in Northeast Iraq. A million Kurdish refugees had fled across the border into western Iran. The leadership of the Christian hospital where I worked in Pusan, South Korea wanted to send a medical team to help. This was seen as a unique opportunity to demonstrate God’s love across religion, politics, geography, and culture. It was decided that I would join two Korean physician colleagues for the trip.
When we applied for a visa to travel to Iran my Korean friends quickly were given a visa. But both the US and Iranian governments denied permission for me to travel to Iran. Diplomatic relations didn’t exist between the countries. Travel had been banned by both countries since hostages had been held in the American Embassy in Tehran twelve years earlier during the Carter administration. But, our group felt it was God’s plan that we go and felt my being a part of the team was what God wanted. In confidence that God had a plan, we continued preparation for the trip including preparation of more than a ton of medical supplies. The day before the scheduled departure for the group, a visa was issued for me. We were told it was only the fourth to an American in twelve years. It was illogical, but God expected us to follow His plan.
Lord, give me the confidence to follow your plan. Keep in front of me your expectation that I follow your plan.
Dan Jones, M.D., MACP, FAHA, a board-certified Internist, a former medical missionary to Korea, professor of medicine at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, Dean of the School of Medicine, and Chancellor of the University of Mississippi until 2015. Dr. Dan Jones is a member of CMDA.
Dr. Jones welcomes any comments or questions about what he has written and can be reached at - djones@umc.edu
Rounds with the Master, Spiritual Pearls from the Great Physician Devotionals are released every Monday and Thursday.
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