“The people came to Moses and said, ‘We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.’ So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.’ So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.” (Numbers 21:7-9)  Let us admit it.  It is probably next to impossible to read Numbers 21 without immediately jumping to John 3: “Just as Moses lifted up…” That is crucial for us.  We cannot think of this event absent our Lord’s interpretation of it and his self-application.  At the same time, there is a detail here in the Numbers text to which we must pay attention.  The people who have brought the snakes upon themselves by their impatience and lack of trust plead with Moses that the peril be removed.  The snakes are not removed but instead, God provides a means of healing: the bronze serpent, so that if one is bitten, they may look up and live.  I have to admit, I want my problems simply to disappear.  Most of the time that does not work (although, even after all these years, I still pray that way!).  Instead, the Lord invites us to look up and be healed.  He invites us, even in the midst of our particular problems, even in the midst of a pandemic, to look to the Son of Man, high and lifted up.  We have an advantage on Moses.  He knew in part, we now know in full.  God would not remain at a distance.  Instead, the Son, himself would come, be lifted high on a cross in order to provide our ongoing means of healing.  My prayer for myself and for you is that throughout this week, we will look to Jesus.  When we are impatient, when we are tempted to think that God does not care my prayer is that we will look up and see the glory of a Savior who is willing to die for our healing now and for eternity.  Have a great week!