IS THE LORD’S HAND WAXED SHORT?
“And the LORD said unto Moses, Is the LORD’S hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.” Numbers 11:23
The Israelites had just been complaining again, especially about their diet in the wilderness. They were remembering the cuisine of Egypt and were comparing it with the manna they were now being fed. In response, the Lord said that He would give them all the flesh they could eat for an entire month. Moses asked the Lord how this might be done. He told God that there were six hundred thousand footmen, not counting the rest. Moses did not see how they could all be fed. And thus, we come to our Scripture, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Is the LORD’S hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.”
What a great question to consider: “Is the LORD’S hand waxed short?” Has His power diminished? He formed everything out of nothing. He rained down manna from Heaven and gave them water to drink out of the rock. He divided the Red Sea for them to pass through. Could He not feed them with meat for a month?
We should ask ourselves this probing question: “Is the LORD’S hand waxed short?” Is He not able to provide for us? We know that He fed them with a great abundance of meat. We should know that He can supply our needs as well. There is nothing that God cannot do. He is able to provide for us materially, as we look to Him and trust Him in faith. He is able to supply our emotional needs as well, giving us peace and rest in the midst of the storms of life. He gives us songs in the night and helps us rejoice in our afflictions. He is certainly capable and willing to meet our every spiritual need. He has provided for our every sin to be forgiven. There is no sinner too vile to be saved. His arm is not short that it cannot save.
He wants us to look to Him in faith and trust Him in prayer. We are too apt to look to the world or to men to supply our needs, when God delights in showing Himself strong when we rely upon Him completely. God said to Moses, “thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.” We can trust God’s Word. If He said that He will do it, then we can believe it. We can claim His promises with confidence that His hand is not waxed short.