NUMBERS 36

After God instituted the inheritance rules for women (in response to the request of Zelophehad’s daughters), the family heads of their tribe came to Moses with a concern over the "unintended consequences" of such a rule. They were concerned that if the women married men from another tribe, the land would become the property of their husbands, thereby passing the land from one tribe to another. Theoretically, over time, one or two tribes could potentially amass a good deal of land through marriage.

The fact that the men from this tribe brought their concern to Moses (and, thus, the Lord) is a good sign. Instead of seeking to take matters into their own hands and solve their own problem, this indicates to me that they had a willingness to present their concerns to God and see what He had to say. They were beginning to trust Him.

I love the whole exchange. The men come with their concern. And God responds very kindly and simply, providing a solution to their problem. It is all done with such little fanfare that it might be easy for us to miss the simple truth: God really listens to us. And not only does He listen, but He answers our questions. He wants us to know that we can come to Him with any problem we have — big or small.

Sometimes it’s so easy to (even subconsciously) think of God as that Almighty Sovereign of the Universe who is concerned only with "the big things." He’s running the universe, right? So why should I think He would care about what happens to my measly little parcel of property? But here, God proves that He cares about everything that affects us — especially the things that seem small. This is the God who cares enough to know how many hairs are on our heads. When a small bird falls to the ground, He feels it. When you sigh, He knows it.

Whatever is on your heart today, bring it to Him. It’s not too big. It’s not too small. He knows. He cares. He listens. He answers.