Through the Eyes of Spies:
Five Lessons for When You’re Overwhelmed by the World

By Shane Bennett

Well, the blood moons have come and gone and we’re still here. At least I am. And you are, if my assumption is correct that if you were in the world to come you’d have better things to do than read Missions Catalyst. But the level of craziness afoot in our world today seems higher than normal, and sadder, and more intractable just now. Is your Facebook feed, like mine, filled with stories of the imminent demise of civilization or at least the destruction of all good people?

Sometimes if I look closely, it can be overwhelming. Do you ever feel the same way? How can we follow Jesus in these days? And as mobilizers, how might we follow Jesus in terms of influencing others to do likewise?

I find help in one of the stories that has informed and shaped much of my adult life. It unfolds in Numbers 13-14. Remember it? God instructs Moses to send spies into the soon-to-be Promised Land. He does as God asks. The spies do as Moses asks. After forty days they return and report to the nation. Ten of them say it’s a no-go, but two intrepid scouts give it a thumbs-up.

Let’s try looking at our world through the eyes of Caleb and Joshua. Granted, the spies we love didn’t receive the warmest reception to their report and wandered with the rest for forty years until the nation finally caught up with them. Yet following their example in five ways might help us face the world as well as our calling to call the world to God’s purposes.

1. Get some skin in the game.

The last thing I want to be is someone who comments enthusiastically on stuff that I’m afraid to really be a part of. Joshua and Caleb actually signed on for the trip. They did hard things and went to scary places. Granted they didn’t have to deal with jet lag and long security lines, but, on the other hand, they saw giants. Giants!

One way to process a world gone off the rails is to move toward the issue or problem of your choice. Scout out the land. Attend a service at a mosque. Grab some buds and visit a refugee camp. Meet a few people who are in the middle of the craziness that concerns you. Engagement like this doesn’t supplant reading everything you can to understand what’s going on and what to do about it. But it adds credibility by the bucket-full and can give you no small amount of empathy and understanding.

2. Be honest about the giants.

In a poignant and feisty epilogue to the Numbers 13 and 14 story, Caleb will tell Joshua, forty years on, that he’d still like the hill country. He says, “You yourself heard ten that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.”

My go-to sentiment is often, “Hey, c’mon. This is going to be great!” And no doubt it will be. But I’m trying to be more honest these days, admitting that, yes, there will be pain along the way. I hate that but can’t change it. For instance, I think the U.S. should admit a ton of Syrian refugees. As a Christian, I think this is what Jesus would do, and I think it’s an accurate reflection of my country’s core values, culture, and history. Some of them will be bad people who will do bad things. Again, I don’t like that. But there are giants. The fact that there are giants didn’t dissuade Josh and Cal and it shouldn’t stop us. But let’s be honest.

3. Question your information sources.

In the ten spies’ second version of their report, basically a rebuttal of J. and C.’s words of hope, things looked considerably bleaker. They bemoan, “We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” Their fears and assumptions began to shape their story: We can’t do this. We should be afraid. We’re in big trouble. Our wives and children will be taken as plunder! Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

Can I ask two things of us?

Let’s mind the origin of our information.

Let’s be a little more thoughtful about who’s saying what about the world and why they might be saying it. Can we listen less to voices that say the world’s going to hell in a hand basket? There are good reasons to think that may not be the case. God may be up to something! (See next point.)

Can we all agree to just not watch televised news?

You may disagree with me on this one, but I think it seems designed to make your stomach hurt so you’ll need the antacids advertised between the stories. There are other ways to get your news (and spend your time).

4. Wonder what God is up to.

I’m not talking about the “What in the world are you doing, God?!” exclamations that sometimes come from my mouth when trouble comes to my door. But rather, let’s ask how God is at work in current situations to accomplish his purposes. In Genesis 12 he tells Abraham his intentions to bless all the families of the earth. And through Paul in Acts 17, he says he causes people to live when they do and where they do so that they might reach out and find him. Caleb and Joshua were somehow able to see beyond the grapes and the giants to this unseen hand of God: “Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them” (Numbers 14:8-9).

Don’t be afraid of them. Sometimes I wonder if we fear for our countries, our tribe, and our way of life more than we should. I want to be someone so totally devoted to God and his purposes that they take precedence over everything else, including my homeland. I certainly don’t have this figured out, and I’m often way too nervous about moving counter to my culture. But may God give us grace to, in the words of Mark Heard, “see the strong hand of love hidden in the shadows.”

5. Speak out and dodge the rocks.

When called upon, Josh and Cal gave it everything they had. They proclaimed, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord” (Numbers 14:6-10). At a time of crisis and widespread confusion, the good scouts spoke with passion and decisive clarity. They pointed out God’s way in the midst of the craziness.

The crowd response? Guys with serious weapons (they were former brick makers, remember?) got ready to pound them with rocks! When I talk about God’s purposes, especially among Muslims, I’ve endured some angry words (infrequently), pitying gazes (more often), and the occasional long rant about how bad Islam is. But never rocks!

These guys laid it on the line. I want us to as well. You have something to say. If you’ll say it with winsome humility and authentic reliance on God, maybe you’ll provide some real hope for people. There’s a lot of angst around these days. Your words about a God at work in the midst of the madness may be a lifeline of hope for some. And just maybe you’ll get a positive response sooner than the forty years Caleb and Joshua waited.

About Shane Bennett

Monthly Practical Mobilization articles are written by Shane Bennett. Shane has been loving Muslims and connecting people who love Jesus with Muslims for more than 20 years. He speaks like he writes—in a practical, humorous, and easy-to-relate-to way—about God’s passion to bring all peoples into his kingdom.

Contact Shane.