For years, I have been a part of the leadership/writing team here at Whispers & Fringes. Every week I pray, read, study and then write as the Lord leads. But every so often, as I hit the submit key, I hear the voice of the enemy. ‘Is anyone even going to read what you just wrote? Do you really believe you are making a difference?’
I look around for affirmation, but nada….just the sound of crickets.
Perhaps you can relate. You know God has given you a message for His people, but all too often, you hear that same voice, ‘Does the world really need one more blogger, one more singer, one more Bible study leader, one more you. Are you even making a difference?’
(By the way, this isn’t a disguised plea for more ‘likes,’ nor do I need therapy…I promise, I’m okay)
In the Old Testament, King David experienced similar moments of doubt. The ‘likes’ to his latest tweets must have been declining and the maidens weren’t singing his praises in the streets as they once were. All he could hear was the voice of the enemy telling him to do something he knew he shouldn’t do. To take a census.
2 Samuel 24 & 1 Chronicles 21 tells the story.
David asks his commanders to go and count the fighting men of Judah and Israel.
“So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and 70,000 of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.”
What was so bad about taking a census?
Nothing really, if done in the right way with the right heart.
According to Exodus 30, if a census was to be taken, a ransom tax was also to be taken. It was used for the upkeep of the temple and it served as an atonement for the people, to avoid the punishment of a plague. With David’s census, no such tax was implemented.
Secondly, scholars say David’s heart wasn’t in the right place. His feelings were hurt, his ego was wounded. For the people had been so quick to leave him and follow his son, Absalom. David wanted to remind himself of how powerful he still was. Instead of looking to God for affirmation, David wanted to see numbers.
But David knew better, and eventually repented for his sin. The Bible tells us he was “conscience stricken after he had counted all the fighting men.”
70,000 people died when David looked to numbers and to man to build his confidence. No doubt, God is serious about this issue. He desires that our worth and confidence come from Him.
Don’t allow the taunting voice of the enemy, the silent sound of crickets chirping, the number of people in your army or the number of likes on your page dictate what God has called you to do.
So go ahead, sing that song, lead that Bible study and hit the submit key to your latest blog. Do what you are called to do. May your (and my) confidence come from the one consistent voice that truly matters, the voice of our Heavenly Father.
-Binu
