My Moses Moment

God has important lessons to teach us every day.  These lessons can be presented to us in various ways:  from what we observe or read about, through personal experience, and from the past mistakes of others.  Moses was a servant and friend of God, but his disobedience to God in one instance prevented him entry into the Promised Land.  We are grateful for the second chances God gives as our Redeemer (for we cannot redeem ourselves), but the event detailed in Numbers 20 shows there are times when the consequences of sin can be permanent.  Praise the LORD He still loved and utilised Moses as leader amongst His people despite his error.  At the same time, however, God provided a lesson for Moses and for all who observe it to take to heart.

I have my own "Moses moment" of sorts, and the situation couldn't have been more different.  I had been given no command from God, no particular directive that day as I stepped upon the mound to pitch in the baseball grand final in Castle Hill.  It was a hard-fought game and a very sloppy one for a championship match.  Every error in the field meant more strain on my tired body and painful shoulder.  I gritted my teeth and toughed it out on the hill.  We had won three grand finals as a team and the coach trusted me to pitch the entire game.  When the umpire finally shouted "Time and game!" to conclude the contest, we had won.  I don't even remember the score.  Beyond the gladness of winning I felt a wave of relief mixed with intense frustration.  I felt like the whole team was riding on my shoulders and I was glad to have the stress over with.

From the moment it happened, I instantly and continually regretted what followed.  I was fired up after a taxing win and the adrenaline was flowing, but that was no excuse.  Instead of turning to embrace my teammates in celebration or dropping to a knee to thank God, I shouted, stamped toward the dugout, and threw my glove as hard as I could into the fence.  I don't know anyone really noticed this or cared.  We had won!  But I had the immediate sense God had seen it, and it was displeasing to Him.  I had not given God the glory for the victory, even as Moses did not give God glory for the miracle of causing water to flow from the rock.  Though I played baseball for an additional three seasons, I never returned to the "promised land" of a grand final match.  The next season started promising but in the fifth game I tore my ACL and had nearly two years off.  When I returned from injury my vision had deteriorated, and over the course of the next years I separated my shoulder, sprained my ankle, snapped something in my pitching elbow, and I was done.  How good God was to allow me to compete into my forties and even to be a part of a winning team!  I am grateful for such a gracious heavenly Father.

I don't know that anything can prevent us from experiencing a "Moses moment," a time when we regrettably sin against the LORD in doing what displeases Him.  Perhaps you can learn from the lasting consequences Moses faced when he disobeyed God or by my experience playing baseball.  It is good for us to realise sin has consequences, and sometimes permanent ones.  A permanent consequence is a lesson provided by God's grace because it is like a personal tutor who travels with us to instruct us during our remaining years of our earthly pilgrimage.  Moses had a constant reminder - not just that he had sinned - but his sin denied him further favour from God.  I am certain this revelation kept him from future sin and continued to work in his life to humble him.  How mindful he was to cease doing what displeased God!  How he laboured to sanctify God in the present and future because he had been careless in the past.  I'm still learning the lesson from my "Moses moment" and praise the LORD He still has much He wants to say to me - and to you! :)