Oh, that today you would hear his voice
We are on a pilgrimage through this life, which, compared to the world to come is as a desert to the promised land. It is not enough that we left Egypt, which represents our former condition as slaves to sin, behind. Instead, as we journey through the desert we must keep listening. We need to stay plugged in to our divine GPS if we want to navigate successfully. This is because our destination is one which we have not seen, to which we have not been. It does not serve us to stubbornly insist that we can find it on our own when we can instead avail ourselves of turn by turn directions. Even if we think we have some idea of the right way to go, if the next stretch looks much like the stretch before looked, God is able to help us navigate around traffic and accidents, provided we are willing to listen.
“Harden not your hearts as at the rebellion
in the day of testing in the desert,
where your ancestors tested and tried me
and saw my works for forty years.
God may be trying to advise an alternate route for us. We must trust that when he does so it is because he has the end in view. He is helping us with a more complete view of the topography than we can access. We may be suspicious that our physical GPS devices aren't always correct because, in fact, they aren't. But we must not stubbornly resist God, thinking that we know the way better than he.
Take care, brothers and sisters,
that none of you may have an evil and unfaithful heart,
so as to forsake the living God.
The route the Lord suggests may seem like a detour. But we can be assured that he will get us there "today", the day of possibility, the time before it is too late. Sin will propose alternative destinations which seem interesting and appeal to us. But if we allow them to direct the course of our lives we will never manage to leave the desert and enter into the rest prepared by God. Instead of being distracted by the scenery or other possible stops along the way we must keep the goal in mind.
We have become partners of Christ
if only we hold the beginning of the reality firm until the end.
In the desert, navigating traffic, we may begin to doubt the intentions of the one who leads us on our journey. This was the beginning of the temptations that faced the Israelites at Meribah, as in the day of Massah. Rather than allowing our hearts to go astray when we face adversity, as though it were a sign of a lack of God's love for us, or an absence of his providential care, we should turn to the voice that speaks with malleable hearts. He wants our healings and our restoration. He wants to lead us to where we can truly rest. But, lest we begin to grumble, we must hear and believe.
Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,
touched the leper, and said to him,
“I do will it. Be made clean.”
It is still today. It is not too late. We are on a pilgrimage. We know not for how much longer. Let us believe that we are being guided by one who loves us and wills our good. Let us keep our hearts open and attentive to his voice. Crowds may press in on him seeking something other than the destination. But he will not be found by them because he himself will be found in the desert, and only there his guidance and healing.
He remained outside in deserted places,
and people kept coming to him from everywhere.
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