We’re blessed with long arms in my family, which really comes in handy at meal time. There’s no need to ask for something when you can reach it, is there? If we couldn’t quite reach the sweet tray, we would use our forks as handy-dandy extensions, quickly retrieving brownies or cookies that Mom thought were out of our reach. We learned the trick honestly, from my grandfather, and it has proven useful over the years.

In our family we call this the "boarding house reach," a reference to eating at a large table where long arms make it possible to get food without bothering others or losing tasty morsels as the tray is passed. I was reminded of this when I read today’s passage.

Numbers 11:23 – The LORD answered Moses, "Is the LORD's arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you."*

The Israelites were getting bored in the desert. Already on the road for a year, they were tired of travelling, tired of being around each other, tired of eating the same food. After the people whined about a lack of food variety, Moses complained bitterly to God about the situation. "If this is how you’re going to treat me, put me to death right now" (Num 11:13-15).

God heard their cries and promised quail, a type of bird, until it was coming out of their nostrils (Num 11:20).

Moses was skeptical. "Here I am among six hundred thousand men on foot, and you say, `I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!' Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?" (Num 11:21)

Moses thought he had to provide the meat for them, and he couldn’t imagine how he could ever do it. Unfortunately, Moses had missed the point. God was going to provide, not Moses. That’s when God asked him, "Is the Lord’s arm too short?"

Translation: Is the Lord not able to do something he says? Of course he can do what he says.

Ever found yourself frustrated and worn out in a situation which you thought was impossible? We get discouraged thinking that nothing will ever change. We try as we might, but nothing seems to work. We become downhearted, disappointed, depressed, even cynical and bitter.

This is the way it looked to Moses, to which God replied, "Is my arm too short?"

No problem is too big for God. It doesn’t matter whether it is a struggling church, a troubled marriage, demanding job, health crisis, parenting problems, relationship issues, financial fixes, or something else pressing us. The problems may be out of our reach, but God says, "Is my arm too short?"

When something seems too big or too far beyond our reach, we need to think of the words of the One who created the world in seven days, who led his people out of slavery in a foreign land, who brought life from death on a cross – "Is the Lord’s arm too short?"

I hope this helps,

Be On Fire,

Troy