18th Week in Ordinary Time : Wednesday 4th August 2021

The Psalmist says of God’s people – “they forgot the God Who was their saviour, who had done such great things in Egypt, … such marvels at the Red Sea”.

Because of their forgetfulness, they caved into fear and did not heed Caleb’s words to “march in … and conquer this land”. Canaan was the land God promised centuries ago to Abraham (Gen 13:16-17), which was later reaffirmed in God’s word to Moses, “this land of Canaan … I am giving to the sons of Israel” (v 2).

In their fear and lack of faith in God, they “disparage the country”; they “felt like grasshoppers”; they “raised their voices … cried aloud and … wailed …” (Num 13:32-33; 14:1). Result? That generation, of age twenty years and over (except for Caleb and Joshua), wandered in the desert for forty years and died without ever stepping into the land of “milk and honey” (Num 14:27, 29-35).

As we read Biblical events and characters, and as we read about the lives of saints – let us remember the courage of God’s people, who willingly did God’s will and fearlessly trusted in God’s word, love, faithfulness and generosity. When we live faithfully, when we trust God whole-heartedly, when we courageously seek to fulfil God’s desires in our lives – we will experience much inner freedom and the ‘amazing grace’ of God.  We will be a faith-filled people, “guided by the Spirit” (Gal 5:25) and will continuously do great things for the greater glory of God.

Lord, let us “have great faith” (v 28), like the Canaanite woman in the Gospel reading. Amen.