Who Can Survive?

 God spoke to the pagan seer named Balaam and showed him many important truths, since the king of Moab had asked him to pronounce a curse on the people of Israel as they traveled near Moab. The king thought that would help him defeat the Israelites. That was not going to happen, because God had decided to bless Israel, and so no one was going to be able to destroy them. They were surviving in the wilderness because God had a purpose and a plan for them. Balaam realized this truth. (Numbers 24:23) Therefore, he concluded his three messages by saying to the king of Moab, "Alas, who can survive unless the Lord has willed it?" That is a profound statement for all of us to ponder. I pray we all know this truth. It will help us live as we should each day.

Why are we alive today? The short answer is that God has willed for us to survive until today. We all know people who are not surviving here on earth any more. They are gone from us, because God willed it to be so. However, another important question that we need to ask is this, "Why has God willed for me to survive until today? It is very simply that He has something for us to do, some purpose for us to accomplish. That is why He has willed our survival. Therefore, we need to be sensitive to the Lord's voice and His direction, so we can fulfill that purpose for which we are surviving. After all, God knows each one of us. He knows our hearts and our minds. He knows our gifts and abilities, too. He knows what He can accomplish through us, if He decides for us to survive another day or month or year. This is not only true for individuals, but it is true for churches and for countries, too. That is why Balaam pronounced it. He knew nothing could touch Israel until God was through with them. We need to have that same assurance as we live for the Lord each day to fulfill His purpose and plan for us. I pray we will all have more meaningful lives because we see this truth.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Numbers 25-27.