“And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, ‘The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.’” Not a word about God. He is entirely shut out. Had they thought of Him—had they brought the giants into comparison with Him, then it would have made not one whit of difference as to whether they themselves were grasshoppers, or whether they were men; but in point of fact, they, by their shameful unbelief, reduced the God of Israel to the level of a grasshopper.
It is very remarkable that wherever infidelity is at work it will always be found characterized by this one fact, namely, it shuts out God. This will be found true in all ages, in all places, and under all circumstances. There is no exception. Infidelity can take account of human affairs, it can reason upon them, and draw conclusions from them; but all its reasonings and all its conclusions are based upon the exclusion of God. The force of its arguments depends upon shutting Him out, and keeping Him out. Only introduce God, and all the reasonings of infidelity crumble into dust beneath your feet. Thus, in the scene before us, what is faith’s reply to all the objections advanced by those ten unbelievers? Its one, simple, all-satisfying reply, to which there can be no rejoinder, is, GOD!
Reader, do you know aught of the force and value of this most blessed answer? Do you know God? Does He fill the entire range of your soul’s vision? Is He the answer to your every question? the solution of your every difficulty? Do you know the reality of walking, day by day, with the living God? Do you know the tranquilizing power of leaning upon Him, “through all the changes and chances of this mortal life”? If not, let me entreat of you not to go on for one hour in your present state. The way is open. God has revealed Himself in the face of Jesus Christ, as the relief, the resource, and the refuge of every needy soul. Look to Him now, even now, “while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near.” “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved,” and “he that believeth shall never be confounded.”
But if, on the other hand, you do, through grace, know God as your Saviour—your Father, then seek to glorify Him in all your ways, by a childlike, unquestioning confidence in all things. Let Him be a perfect covering for your eyes, under all circumstances; and thus, in spite of all difficulties, your soul shall be kept in perfect peace.