Posts Tagged ‘Promised Land’

Can God be Trusted?

Monday, November 8th, 2010

Over and over again, God invites me to trust Him with every detail of my life. Truth is, I don’t always do it because it’s scary sometimes…especially when I don’t understand how the puzzle pieces fit together.

The Israelites felt the same way. We know that’s true by their negative response when God told them to enter the Promised Land. They failed to trust and obey because, despite His guaranteed sovereignty on their behalf, they couldn’t imagine marching into enemy territory and claiming victory. If only they’d known His heart for them. Maybe they would have responded in a different way.

Ezekiel 20:5,6 says, “When I chose Israel—when I revealed myself to the descendants of Jacob in Egypt—I took a solemn oath that I, the Lord, would be their God. I took a solemn oath that day that I would bring them out of Egypt to a land I had discovered and explored for them—a good land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the best of all lands anywhere.”

Do these sound like flippant words spoken by a god who didn’t really care about Israel’s well-being? I think not. They’re solemn words spoken by the living God who loved His people intensely. He’d taken an oath that He would be their God—forever on their side, forever faithful to watch over them and provide for their needs. He’d picked out the best land for them and checked out every detail before giving them marching orders. He knew the outcome of their obedience, and He guaranteed that it would be good. And yet, the people refused to trust and obey. Why? Because they didn’t understand His character or His love for them.

The same is true for you and me. When God asks us to trust Him and we fail to do so, it all boils down to one thing: we don’t understand His character or His love. If we did, the unknown wouldn’t frighten us. We’d trust Him with every detail of our lives without hesitation even if we didn’t understand how the puzzle pieces fit together.

God has sworn to be our God. He takes His responsibility for us seriously. With that in mind, let’s choose to trust Him. Imagine the freedom and rest we could experience. No more worries. No more doubts. No more fears.

 Any thoughts? Do you think God can be trusted with the details of your life?

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I Wanna be Like Caleb!

Friday, April 17th, 2009

Caleb is one of my all-time favorite OT characters. When Moses appointed him and 11 other men to spy out the Promised Land, he and Joshua were the only two who came back with a “Let’s go for it!” attitude. The others focused on the challenges and bred fear into the Israelites. As a result, the people disobeyed God and ended up wandering around in the wilderness for 40 years.

Joshua 14:7-14 tells it all. Caleb was a man of wisdom and courage. A man firm in his belief and behavior, unswayed by the fearful and faithless who surrounded him. What set him apart? Look at v. 7,8 – “I was forty years old when Moses, the servant of the Lord, sent me from Kadesh-barnea to explore the land of Canaan. I returned and gave from my heart a good report, but my brothers who went with me frightened the people and discouraged them from entering the Promised Land. For my part, I followed the Lord my God completely.”

Caleb followed the Lord completely. He’d embraced Him as his God, worshiping nothing else above Him. He saw the same challenges as his co-spies did when they surveyed the Promised Land, but he viewed them through God’s command and promise. He knew God was bigger than any obstacle they faced, and he trusted Him to give them victory. He followed God alone, not his feelings or the negative report made by the other spies.

I wanna be like Caleb. When presented with a challenge or seeming impossibility, I want to operate according to God’s truth, not according to what others say or feel. I want my life to exemplify rock-solid faith in an all-powerful God. I want to follow the Lord my God completely, and to encourage others to do the same. Let it never be said that I frightened others and discouraged them from pursuing God’s plans for them because of my feeble faith. Rather, let it be said that I wholeheartedly followed the Lord.

Is this your prayer, too?

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