Dear Reader,
Many of us—myself included—have wondered:
Why has this challenge been given to me?
We can become so caught up in the problem…
so bound by self…
that we don’t take the time to step back,
to really see what is happening,
or to look toward the solution that may already be in front of us.
Sometimes, if we are honest,
it is our pride that keeps us from seeking the help that is already within view.
Today, I found myself reflecting on Numbers 21.
As I looked at the symbolism—and with a little help from ChatGPT—I offer the following thought.
There is a moment in scripture that has always seemed unusual.
In the wilderness, people were suffering.
They had been bitten—poison was already in their bodies.
And God did something unexpected.
He did not remove the serpents.
He did not erase the pain.
Instead, He told Moses to lift up a bronze serpent…
and said:
“Look—and live.”
At first glance, this feels strange.
Why would the image of what was hurting them
become the very thing that heals them?
Years later, Jesus gave the answer.
He said:
“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.”
And in that moment, everything changed.
✨ The Deeper Truth
God does not always heal us by removing the problem.
Sometimes…
He heals us by entering into it.
Not standing far away.
Not avoiding it.
But stepping directly into the place where the pain is.
The serpent represented the poison.
And Christ—lifted up—
steps into that same place.
Not to become the poison,
but to carry it…
to overcome it…
to heal us from it.
🌱 What This Means for Us
There is something deeply personal here.
We all carry things:
- Regret
- Fear
- Addiction
- Loss
- Shame
We often try to run from them.
Hide them.
Fix them ourselves.
But the message of the lifted serpent—and the lifted Christ—is different.
Healing begins when we stop running…
and start looking.
Not looking at the problem alone—
but looking through it
to the One God has lifted up for us.
💛 A Simple Invitation
The people in the wilderness were not asked to be strong.
They were not asked to earn healing.
They were asked to do something very simple:
Look.
And maybe that is still the invitation today.
In the middle of whatever you are carrying…
Not to solve everything.
Not to understand everything.
But to gently turn your eyes
toward Christ.
🌅 Closing Thought
God does not heal us by pretending the poison isn’t real.
He heals us
by meeting us in it.
And lifting before us
the One who can carry us through it.
Look… and live.
No comments:
Post a Comment