Ancient Words For Today - 32
The occasion of this scripture was when the Lord God spoke to Moses and Joshua, assuring them that He would be with the people of the nation Israel when they crossed the Jordan River and entered into the land that God had promised to give them. As Joshua prepared to assume the leadership of Israel from Moses, who was then 120 years old, God told Joshua He would be with him, strengthen him and go before him.
Forty years earlier, God had raised up Moses to lead the nation of Israel out of Egypt, where they had been slaves in hard servitude to Pharaoh. Following the exodus of Israel from Egypt, after God brought numerous plagues and finally destroyed Pharaoh's armies, the Israelites reached the River Jordan which was before the promised land. Israel sent 12 spies to check out the situation concerning the warlike tribes that dwelt in the land. The spies returned with a report that it was truly a land flowing with milk and honey, as God had told them, but that they saw giant races of men that could easily destroy Israel. Ten of the spies urged that Israel not enter the land for fear of destruction by the giants. But two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, urged the people to trust God's promises to give them victory over their enemies and to occupy the land and live in peace.
But, the people remained fearful and refused to enter the land. God was displeased by their unbelieving attitude and said they would therefore wander in the wilderness until that generation of fearful and untrusting Israelites had died out. Then God would bring their offspring, who would learn to trust Him, into the land. Now, 40 years later, the generation that refused to trust God and enter the land had all died in the wilderness. Only Joshua and Caleb, who had believed and trusted in God, remained and Joshua led that next generation of Israelites into the land - just as God had said.
There is an important application of this story for us today. So often God provides opportunities for us, to use us in His work and to bless us, but we fail to follow through and receive the blessings. This sometimes happens because we are not attentive to God's leading and we overlook the opportunities. Other times, we make our own evaluation of the opportunities God presents and choose a different road that seems better to us, perhaps more interesting or exciting or self-satisfying. But in so doing we miss the wonderful opportunities that God has for us, which are by contrast much better. There are also those times when the opportunities God presents seem to be dangerous or just too great of a challenge for us. Perhaps we feel unqualified for the task or that we lack the knowledge or resources needed to complete the task. Or we are just plain afraid of pursuing it for fear of failure, ridicule, injury, or other reasons.
What we may fail to consider or believe is that if God is calling us to do something, He will equip us to do it, He will be with us through it, He will strengthen and prosper us to complete it, and He will never fail nor forsake us! When we know and trust that God will do all these things, we will become less fearful to walk on the road He has chosen for us and less dismayed at adverse circumstances. Remember that the Lord has stated His good intent concerning us and the work He wants us to complete. Consider the following scriptures:
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
If God be for us, who can be against us? from Romans 8:31
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Phil 4:19
God bless you, guide you and prosper you wherever you go, and in all that you do.