The promised land was in sight; the nation of Israel had begun their conquest. Two Amorite kings, Sihon and Og, had been defeated. Now, fearing he would be next, King Balak of Moab decided to take matters into his own hands. What he needed, he decided, was to call down a curse on this huge mass of people who seemed to have the gods on their side.
To that end, he sought out young Balaam, a prophet whom the king thought he could manipulate into saying whatever he wanted. Try as he might, however, Balaam could do no more than bless the people of God. While this story, tucked away in the latter part of the book of Numbers, often gets more press for its talking donkey, it actually echoes a hope-filled, gospel-centered truth: God is for His people.
God Is for You No Matter Where
For some reason, King Balak believed that a change of venue would bring about a change of results in his attempts to curse the people of God. So when Balaam blessed Israel rather than cursing them, Balak moved the whole operation to a different site. He tried this twice more to no avail. Location simply doesn’t matter when it comes to the promises of God.
I don’t know where you might find yourself today. Perhaps you’re in a brand-new season of life, in a new town or a new house. Perhaps it’s the same house but with fewer people in it, a new church, a new job, or a new office. Whatever the change may be, God is still for you.
Sometimes these changes come voluntarily. We count down the days until the new house is finally finished or wait anxiously for the promotion decision to be made. In these new places, we sing at the top of our lungs, “Taste and see that the LORD is good” (Psalm 34:8). Other times, you may feel that God has abandoned His post and forgotten about you altogether. In these moments, it feels that He is anything but“for you.”
No doubt Israel, wandering about in the wilderness for forty years wondered the same thing. Yet, Balak and his failed attempts to have Balaam curse God’s people teach us that God is for us, no matter where we are.
Friend, regardless of where you find yourself at this moment, whether it’s a new place or an old place that feels forsaken, take heart. God is still for you.
God Is for You No Matter Who
Though he had the means to give Balaam honor and riches, King Balak still couldn’t come up with a way to successfully curse the people of God. The reason is simple. God was for them, and it didn’t matter what king, emperor, pharaoh, or dictator tried to rise up against them. God’s promises would remain. And the same is true for you if you’ve been united with Christ.
People can be the source of both our greatest joy and our greatest sorrow. Unfaithful, neglectful, or abusive spouses; prodigal or rebellious children; angry, manipulative, or narcissistic employers; broken friendships; the “wrong” person in office; an unfair judge—all these and more can leave us wondering whether God has forgotten and forsaken us. The wounds are deep and real. But the conclusion is wrong.
No matter what relational hurt you may have suffered, God is still for you. The whos in your life don’t alter God’s steadfast, unfailing love. Job probably felt that the loss of his children, the bitterness of his wife, and the horrible counsel of unsympathetic friends were just further proof of God’s neglect. But Job didn’t know the full story.
Jesus, betrayed with a kiss by one of His closest friends, knows the pain of broken relationships. His love does not depend on the faithfulness of other people. His love persists even when the love of others wanes. God is still for you, no matter who lets you down, leaves you, betrays you, or forgets you. God is still there. He still loves you.
God Is for You No Matter What
Balak’s plans to curse God’s people and thereby protect himself failed. It didn’t matter how he tried to manipulate the circumstances; he simply couldn’t get the job done. The reason is simple. No matter what circumstances may arise, God is always for His people. That didn’t change when Joseph was in prison, when the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, living in plenty in the promised land, or exiled in Babylon. No matter what, God remained faithful to His promise.
Even when all seemed forgotten, His steadfast love remained. And, “in the fullness of time” (Gal. 4:4), He sent the proof. The Word made flesh, the Babe lying in a manger, the hope of the world, the Prince of Peace—the Son of God who gave up the glories of heaven to become sin in our stead is the proof positive that God is still for you. No. Matter. What.
Paul puts that proof like this:
What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything? (Romans 8:31–32)
As sure as Jesus walked the earth, died on the cross, and rose victoriously three days later, God’s love will never fail. No matter what circumstances you will encounter today, God is still for you.
A broken marriage? God is for you.
A wayward child? God is for you.
A loved one ravaged by cancer? God is for you.
A difficult job? God is for you.
A heartbreaking diagnosis? God is for you.
An infirm church, limping along? God is for you.
Another day of loneliness? God is for you.
No matter where, no matter who, no matter what—God is for you.
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8: 37–39)
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