Numbers 11:1,3- Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the Lord burnt among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed to the Lord and the fire died down. So that place was called Taberah, because fire from the Lord had burned among them.
What are hardships? I mean, when we consider the nature of a God who loves, cherishes and pours out blessings on us, having adopted us into son-ship, you can hardly attribute hardship to God. We bring our own hardship and troubles on ourselves. From the moment Eve took that first bite out of that apple, we have been bringing trouble onto ourselves, and we find ourselves constantly reliant on God to strengthen us and help us tear down the things we've caused. When Jesus prayed that God's kingdom would come "on earth, as it is in heaven", he opened an invitation to have encounters with God that went beyond our natural world- there's no sin in heaven, no pain, hardship or trials. Jesus was openly inviting us to step back into the place we came from- God's presence. Each day we struggle against ourselves as we keep pushing and pushing against Satan, when in fact, that draws us closer to him. Some people get so caught up in chasing Satan, they end up going his way. You notice Jesus never went after Satan. He never planned out a route that would take him through the darkest places of his time, or went out of his way to throw himself into trouble. He was aware that he was to be going about his fathers business. When you consider that God has already won the fight against Satan- when Jesus breathed his last and with a shout of triumph let loose the three most freeing words to be spoken in History- "It is finished", he ended the fight. Then and there, the fight against Satan was over. We don't need to chase after him, because every chance he gets he'll simply lead us off track and into some other trap. What we need to be doing is waiting on God, and moving when he moves. See God wasn't angry at the Israelites for complaining about their hardships- he was angry at them for even acknowledging them! By complaining, they acted as if the hardships actually had authority over their life.
When we complain about our hardships, we take our eyes off God and start looking at our problems. Now, god answered their prayer. He came down in fire and burnt all the outer camps, removing all the excess baggage they had going on. You see, the heart of their camp, he left alone, but all the outer camps, the ones on the outskirts, the ones that didn't really belong there but had managed to grab a seat anyway, were burnt up. Why? Because that's exactly where our hardships are. God has given us all we need, but somehow, all around us, the enemy starts pitching tents, setting up camp, and hardships start coming against us, and we get so caught up looking at where God isn't, we start to forget where he is- In the heart of the camp. In the center of our lives. We need to learn to telling God how big our problems are, and start telling our problems how big God is. After God had come down and consumed the outer tents, the fire subsided, and the place he had burnt was named "Taberah". Taberah, in Hebrew, means "Burning". But hadn't the fire subsided? Wasn't it all over? Wouldn't you name it "burnt" because God had burnt it, not was burning it? You see, when God comes down and releases us from that excess baggage, he stays there. that spot keeps burning. You never have to deal with that problem again, because God is burning, not burnt. He is now, not then. He has won, not is winning. We gotta get our eyes off what God has done, and start looking at what he is doing!
If you find yourself dealing with the same old problem, stop, and ask yourself, haven't I gone through this? Truth is, God's burning. He's bigger than that problem, and he's already won that battle for you. So stop acting like there's a fight to be won, and start celebrating the victory! Stop trying to deal with problems he's already solved, and start living in the freedom he has prepared for you. Keep your eyes on God, not your problems. For "I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. Plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future!" and all we need to do, is "Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass"- Psalm 37:5.
Be Blessed.
