Reflections at the Summit: A Place of Missed Opportunity

 

Reflections at the Summit

Week Four

A Summit of Missed Opportunity

Focus Text: Deuteronomy 34

Bible Reading: 2nd Timothy 1-4, Titus 1-3

      One of my fondest memories of growing up was playing little league.  I loved playing, but I wasn't particularly good at it.  I played for the giants. There used to be two fields in my little home town; a front field where the really talented kids played and a back field where the uncoordinated kids played.  I don't think I need to tell you which one I played on.  But once a year the back field teams were invited to come to the front field to play a night game under the big lights!  I vividly remember it being the last inning, bases were loaded, we were down by one run to the Astros, there were two outs, and I was up to bat.  You can't make this stuff up.  The butterflies in my stomach were sick to their stomachs.  I felt like Mighty Casey coming up to bat.  I held on tightly to my bat, waited for the first pitch and swung....foul ball.  The pitcher wound up and threw a second pitch that was also fouled off.  My heart raced as the pitcher released the third ball and I swung with all my heart.  My heart was in the swing, but nothing else was...I struck out....we lost the game.....I didn't just miss the ball but an opportunity.

      Our mountain summit today takes us to a place of missed opportunity.  Mount Pisgah, also known as Mount Nebo is famous because of the events that take place in Deuteronomy 34.  Here we find Moses, God's faithful servant for the past forty years standing at the pinnacle of Pisgah, glancing into the Promised Land.  Moses gets to see the land but he is forbidden by entering.  This is the place where Moses would die.  But what did Moses do that was so terrible to prevent him from entering the land of milk and honey?  In Deuteronomy 32 we find God telling Moses that he broke faith with him.  How did Moses break faith?  He broke faith with God at Meribah.  The people of Israel were thirsty and God directed Moses to speak to a rock and then the rock would spill forth water.  This was the opposite of how God opened the rock at Rephidim.  There God told Moses to strike the rock.  Moses came before the people in Numbers 18 and directly disobeyed God by striking the rock, not speaking to it.  Moses' single act of disobedience and desire to take the glory from God prevented him from entering the promised land. Tragically each of us have suffered through missed opportunities.  We missed the chance to witness with someone, to bless someone, to encourage someone, to serve the Lord, or develop spiritually.  But unlike Moses many of us are granted this very day another opportunity, another chance to pursue the Lord.  The Mount of Missed Opportunities is not a place for us to dwell in permanence, but only for a short period of time.  We merely set up tents of repentance at this summit, not homes of stone.  You might have missed an opportunity, but let that serve as a lesson so we do not make it a habit.  Make the most of every opportunity gifted to you.

Reflections on the Road:

Always be intentional with the opportunities that God gives you.  This week ask God to give you clear evidence of 'divine' opportunities and that you would make the most of them.