Moses sent twelve spies to see what the Promised Land had to offer -- which was plenty -- but of the twelve, only two believed God would give them the land, just as He said He would. The two who believed (Joshua and Caleb) tried to convince the others to trust God's promise:
“If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land . . . the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” - from Numbers 14: 8-9
Later, even those who lived and worked close with Jesus Christ suffered an acute lack of faith. Doesn't that surprise you? Wouldn't you think if you had daily contact with a person who routinely did the impossible, you might come to expect the unexpected? But no! An everyday miracle did more than surprise the disciples; it scared them half to death:
. . . [Jesus] came to them, walking on the sea . . . when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for . . . their hearts were hardened. - from Mark 6:48-52
I, too, have trouble believing God's promises, and I know I'm not alone in my lack of faith. I'm thankful God understands our small-mindedness. He even addressed our frailty of faith in scripture when He made a promise about His promises. Let's mull this over until we are brave enough to believe what it says:
God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? - Numbers 23:19
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