Numbers 21:6-8
New International Version (NIV)
6 Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
8 The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.”
As I was reading these verses yesterday, I noticed that God could have simply removed the snakes, which is what the people had asked, however, He gave them a way to handle the snakes instead...by looking at a pole. It occurred to me that often, perhaps nearly always, we pray for God to remove the snakes from our lives. Frequently, however, His solution is to give us the tools to overcome them ourselves. For instance, prayers for deliverance from an addiction might be answered instantly by God taking away the desire,however, far more often He chooses to help by using others as a support system. Most of the time, they themselves have overcome a similar problem in the past.
There is much wisdom in this, for as any parent knows, our children very easily get themselves into trouble and if we are too quick to rescue them, what have they learned? If we give them a "get out of jail free" card, they will likely end up right back behind bars as soon as temptation rears its ugly head once again.
So, if you have been praying for God to remove the snakes from your life and it seems as though He hasn't, look around to see if there is a solution He has offered that you might have overlooked. It may be as simple as changing you prayer from "God, please take away this problem" to "God, please show me how to overcome it.". Do not be surprised if, upon opening your eyes, before you stands your snake on a pole.
