Hidden issues require divine wisdom, and a Spirit-led response.
===============
Scripture
Numbers 12:1-2
“Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. And they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it.”
Observation
“The ‘issue’ is never the issue.”
I remember my father telling me this often during my childhood. People often act and react in specific ways because of some unresolved issue of which they may be unaware, or unwilling to face.
In this passage, Aaron and Miriam were rebelling against Moses and trying to usurp his God-given role… because they were harboring bitterness in their hearts toward Moses’ wife, their sister-in-law. Moses may have been completely unaware of the true issue, but God understood exactly what was happening–and He knew exactly how to deal with it. Instead of accusing Aaron and Miriam of racism, God gave Miriam a small taste of the way she was treating Moses’ wife. Being cut off and shunned from the community for a reason over which she had no control, probably had a greater impact on Miriam’s heart than any words which could have been spoken to her.
Hidden issues required divine wisdom, and a Spirit-led response.
Application
Sometimes I just sit back and scratch my head when I see how someone responds or reacts. An everyday conversation suddenly spirals out of control, leaving both parties hurt and confused…and the reaction doesn’t seem to fit the cause. The ‘issue’ isn’t the issue…but what is the issue?!
Instead of just pushing through with human understanding and making the situation worse, I must pray for Spirit-led wisdom to address not just the visible thing…but the root thing.
Sometimes the issue is in my own heart, and I find myself reacting because of issues the I’ve not truly addressed or surrendered to God–and once again I must go to God with a humble heart and ask Him to reveal the things in me that are unresolved, so that I can surrender more fully to Him.
Prayer
God, thank you for seeing below the surface to understand the true issues at stake–not just in others, but also in me. Give me discernment when tensions flare, to react with Holy Spirit insight so that your will would be accomplished. Show me when there are unresolved issues in my own heart, so that I would be transformed day by day to be more like you.
Interested in getting daily devotions delivered straight to your inbox? Subscribe HERE!
You can also read past devotions on our website, by visiting https://www.newhopelegacy.com/soap/
