Preparing to Share

Preparing to Share

In Numbers 20 the people of God begin to move again. They have been in the wilderness for 40 years, and it is now finally time for them to resume their journey toward the Promised Land. We read of obstacles that pop up for them in their quest to move into the land, battles that must be fought, temptations that must be avoided, all sorts of things that make for interesting reading. And then we hit chapter 33. It’s a jolting, abrupt stop in the action. It leaves us screaming “WHY?”
 
Why has the action stopped? What is going on? Well, Moses has decided, for some reason, that it would be a good idea to make a list of all the places they have camped during their time in the wilderness. BORING. YAWN. Why does he do this? Why is it forever recorded as inspired words of God? Because they needed to remember. They needed to remember each camping spot, what happened there, how God came through for them there, what they learned in that spot. It was a way for Moses to help them remember, time after time, campground after campground, how God had been faithful.
 
Stopping to remember is so important for the shaping of our souls. When we are intentional to pause and remember specifically when, where, and how we have experienced God’s faithfulness to us, it helps us persevere in moving forward with the Lord. And this is the idea behind our sharing services: to stop and remember and share the “campgrounds” we’ve been in over the past weeks and months. Where has the Lord had us camping recently? What have we learned there? How can we share it in a way that will be encouraging to others? This is our goal this coming Sunday, so take some time to consider where you’ve been camped out with the Lord so far this year, and come prepared to share it next Sunday. Below are some questions that might be helpful in thinking about what to share:
 

1. What is a passage of scripture that the Lord has used in my life recently?
2. Who is a person the Lord has used to encourage me or minister to me recently?
3. What is a challenge or trial the Lord has used to teach me or deepen my faith in him?
4. Is there a way in which the Lord has blessed me recently that has reminded me of his goodness?
5. How has the Lord used my shepherding group or a Sunday school class this spring to encourage me or teach me in my faith?

 
As always, please be sure to limit your sharing time to 2-3 minutes, so that as many people as possible will have time to share!