“The people refused to enter the pleasant land, for they wouldn’t believe His promise to care for them. Instead, they grumbled in their tents and refused to obey the Lord” (Psalm 106: 24-25 NLT).
During these unprecedented times, it may seem like we are in a wilderness. Like the Israelites, we would rather grumble and complain instead of trusting God to care for us.
I believe sometimes God takes us on a journey to a new place – one that requires us to close our ears to the voices of doubt and to trust Him. Sometimes God will ask us to climb mountains. He may take us to places where we feel unsafe to help increase our trust factor. The climb can be higher and harder than expected. At times it may even seem impossible or depressing.
I was able to live out this lesson as I climbed Mount Sinai to see the sunrise on a recent trip to the Middle East and Holy Land. It was there I learned that sometimes God has me climb in the dark, trusting Him to light the path bring companions who will journey with me. I also learned that once I reached the top (what I think is the destination), the journey wasn’t over. It really had just begun. I also needed to climb down the mountain to deliver the story God had given me to share.
What does your trust factor look like? Are you trusting or grumbling? Are you equipping yourself for the journey God has you on through good stewardship of your heart, mind, and soul? Are you sharing your story?
“Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him, and He will help you” (Psalm 37:5).
“I will trust in Him and not be afraid. The Lord God is my strength and my song; He has given me victory” (Isaiah 12:2).
Carol Duberowski serves as a Free Methodist Foundation regional representative in Southern California. She is married to Dave Duberwoski and together they have one son, Nate. She has had many roles in her local church at Light & Life Christian Fellowship North, in the conference, in Southern California and has helped lead various church planting projects in Long Beach. She has a huge heart for missions and has been to Ethiopia as well as Israel. Her love for missions spills over into the work of several of our Free Methodist missionaries. She serves in an executive role at a company in Los Angeles and has had other executive positions at various companies throughout her professional career. She has served on nonprofit boards and committees both inside and outside of our church in Southern California. She is presently on the Ministerial Appointment Committee and is serving on the conference Board of Administration.
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