Moses was struggling. He had brought the people out of Egypt but felt totally overwhelmed! He was leading six hundred thousand on foot, and he felt alone. The crowds were complaining and so was Moses. He didn’t want to carry this burden by himself and felt ill-equipped to deal with the people who were weeping in their tents. The crowds were regretting their exodus from Egypt. They wanted food—real food—and Moses needed help to deal with the predicament they were in.
God heard the complaints. The Lord spoke to Moses and told him to find 70 loyal elders, so that God could pass some of the leadership qualities of Moses to them and thus lighten the burden Moses was carrying. God’s plan was to lighten the burden of Moses rather than remove it.
When we carry a heavy burden, the first reaction of most of us is to complain and to pray that God will take the load from us. We know our situation and think we know the best solution. However, God also knows our situation, and we really should just pass our problems to God, who is already aware of them, and knows the best way to help us.
God, help us trust in you to show us the way forward, no matter the circumstance. Amen. —