"Then I said to you, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.” In spite of this, you did not trust in the Lord your God, who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go." – Deuteronomy 1:29-33

Dear heavenly Father, this candid discourse from your servant Moses to the children of his peers, who had left Egypt with him, reminds me how easy it is to have you right there helping me and yet still complain and lose trust. They had your miraculous deliverance from Egypt. They had signs of your presence every day and still their challenges in the upcoming "Promised Land" made them cower and complain. I want to learn from their mistakes. I want to be optimistic today in the face of the challenges I am experiencing. Thanks for forgiving me of my recent grumbling. Now, pull my eyes toward you and all of the promises you give me that apply to my life and the path you have chosen for me. Make me a positive influence and joyful servant in my family, my church, and my community. AMEN

Joyful service to God by meeting one's responsibilities without fear and grumbling is the gift of faith from God.

Additional Readings: 1 Thessalonians 1:2-10, Philippians 2:12-17, Jude