When the Israelites were delivered from Egypt by God under Moses’ leadership, they were told that they were on their way to the Promised Land, and land “flowing with milk and honey.”  In a short while, they got to the borders of Canaan, their destination, and Moses sent spies to search out the land and bring back a report.

When they returned, they said the land was in fact very good and bountiful, but then they added: “However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there.” (Numbers 13:28, emphasis mine). Even though God had promised this land to Israel, and therefore Moses sent them to spy, not to decide whether to enter the land, the spies’ report discouraged the people who “said to one another, ‘Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.’”  Because of this disobedience springing from a lack of faith, God sentenced Israel to 40 years of wandering in the wilderness until the entire generation died, except Joshua and Caleb, who were the only 2 faithful spies among the 12.  Only then could they enter the Promised Land.

Note that the story hinges on the word “however.”  As I’ve written, while inserting the words “but God” into any situation can make it better, saying “however” to God often does the opposite.  Even if we don’t actually use the word, the idea of “however” occurs when we decide our circumstances are more than God can handle or justify ignoring God.

God may have given us something to do, but we might say (or think):
“However, I wanted to spend my Sunday relaxing.”
“However, my coworker never goes out of their way for me.”
“However, I was saving that money for my next vacation.”
“However, I like doing it this way.”
“However, my neighbor isn’t a good person.  I don’t have to love them.”

I do this all the time, and I suspect so does everyone else.  Instead of saying something like, “but God has a better idea of how I should spend my Sunday,” I go on doing whatever works for me.  Also, if we say “however” enough, it can become a barrier between us and God because He knows we aren’t listening anyway.  We can become insensitive to God’s calling for us and unable to hear Him, but it’s never too late to turn back to Him and again hear His voice.  Israel’s big “however” left them in the wilderness for 40 years but eventually they made it to the Promised Land.  Our “howevers” can hinder us for a while, but ultimately God’s will for us prevails.

Where God’s instruction isn’t clear, an analysis of “pros and cons” is usually wise (see Luke 14:28), but when we know what God wants us to do, that is the only “pro” that matters and the “cons” are irrelevant.  No “however” is good enough.

There’s always some area of my life where I’m saying “however” to God and I’m blessed by His patience.  But God doesn’t ask us to do anything without knowing it’s best for us and will glorify Him.

Pray that we can all hear His voice, listen and trust Him so we can find the way out of our wilderness!