This week I was reading the story of the Israelites, and
their first encounter with the land of Canaan.
Remember that one? They had
escaped the brutal working conditions of Egypt, lived in the desert off of
manna, and were finally getting their first glimpse of the Promised Land. Should have been a joyful occasion,
right? God had already done so many
miracles for them, after all. No reason
to think He wouldn’t continue to do so…..
Except that’s not how the story goes at all. Twelve men go into Canaan, but all but two
let fear prevent them from stepping out and claiming what God had promised
them.
So are you one of the ten who see only the giants in your
future, or the two who truly see your own Promised Land as God intended,
flowing with milk and honey?
It’s hard to be a Joshua or a Caleb. For one thing, you’re usually outnumbered – there are
almost always plenty of people around you who see only the negative. It takes courage to make that first step to
explore the world, and ask God to give you His eyes to see the future. It means acknowledging that there are giants
in this new world, but also trusting that your God is bigger.
If we do not step out in faith, we will curse ourselves to
wandering in the desert, denying ourselves of the blessings of the promised
land He has for us. And if you miss your
opportunity, like the Israelites did, you may not be able to go back and fix
it. (After their pity party about the
big scary giants, and God’s rebuke, they attempted to go back and claim Canaan
on their own. BIG mistake.)
Here’s the good news:
God probably isn’t calling you to leap across the Grand Canyon, right
off the bat. We do not have to see each
step of the entire journey – only the next one.
Then we trust Him to show us the one after that, and the one after that,
and so on. We are called not to giant
leaps, but to baby steps in the right direction.
Only when we are finally in our Promised Land will we be able
to begin to fully appreciate the journey that we have taken – some things will make
more sense only in perspective. Still
others may never make sense. That’s
okay, too. Just take it one step at a
time, and He’ll put all the pieces together.
It won’t happen, though, unless you ignore your own fears and the naysayers in
your life --- and take that first step.
Where is God calling you to step out in faith? Let me know in the comments, and I’ll add you
to my prayers.
“Do not dare not to dare” C.S. Lewis
