When God is Small, the daily struggles are overwhelming

When our God is Small, We Doubt God in the daily Struggles of Life.
Numbers 21:1-9
"When he looked upon the bronze serpent, he lived."

When we face life's daily challenges, it can wear us down to the point that we lose sight of God. When our view of God is small, the daily struggles seem overwhelming.
Chapter 21 beings with a victory of Israel over the Canaanites. In chapter 20, the events seemed somber and difficult. It starts with the death of Miriam and ends with the Death of Aaron. The leadership team of Moses, Aaron, and  Miriam was now breaking up, and the people were troubled. Just when they were facing a loss of leadership, they encountered the Canaanites. Initially, the encounter was disastrous for the Israelites. The Canaanites had overpowered the Israelites and taken some captive. Just when it appeared that the people were starting to waver and weaken, they responded by seeking the Lord and won the victory
However, victories are soon forgotten as the drudgery of the daily journey set it. What is remarkable about the next act of rebellion is that it came on the heels of a decisive victory. The problem now was not another threat; it was the struggles of daily life. When we are helpless and have nowhere else to turn, we naturally turn to God for help. However, when we get into the daily realities of life, with its constant struggles, we can start to waver. Such was the case with Israel. It has been 40 years since the time they left. Their journey had been long and hard, and the people were beginning to lose patience. The first generation had passed, and now the second generation was unfamiliar with the trials and trauma of their enslavement. All they knew was that life in the wilderness seemed to go on and on without any hope of change.
Consequently, they began to complain. There is irony in verse 5. Throughout the book of Numbers, God or Moses always "spoke." Now it was the people who "spoke," and it serves to highlight their rebellion. While God had graciously given them an endless supply of manna and quail (see Exodus 16) and miraculously supplied water when it was lacking (Numbers 20). Now they were discouraged and grumbling. Perhaps the hardest struggles to overcome are not the intense, short-lived events but the slow, relentless trials of daily life. It is easier to trust God in the crisis than rest in him in the daily grind.
Because they rejected God's provision, God sent poisonous snakes to afflict the people. Realizing their sin and God's discipline, they appealed to Moses to intervene for them. Surprisingly God did not remove the serpents. Instead, he required them to look upon a bronze serpent to receive healing. This was more than just a way to recover from a deadly snake bite; it was to remind them that amid life's challenges, they are to keep their focus and sight upon God. When confronted with a life and death crisis, they are to respond by looking with faith in God's provision.   This ultimately serves as a picture of Christ and his death upon the cross. Just as the people looked to the serpent, so by looking to the death of Christ, we also find the hope of eternal life.
When life becomes difficult and our view of God remains small, the daily struggles become overwhelming. Instead of trust, we become plagued by doubt. Instead of rejoicing in God's redemptive plan, we question the wisdom of his purposes. The problem is not with our circumstances; the problem is with our perspective. God has become small. Consequently, like the Israelites, we need a fresh view of God. For us, that comes by looking at the cross, for in the cross we are reminded of the hope of our salvation. When our view of God becomes weakened by the struggles of life, look to the cross as the reminder of the power and salvation of God and then rest in him, knowing that he has all things within the palm of his control.