Column Post by Laura Hyers
I feel like I get my best writing material from my pastor. Kind of. I mean, he’s really smart, and funny, and he makes being the Church seem possible, and when my heart is floundering and my investment is seeming less and less worthwhile, his words remind me why I’m doing what I’m doing, why any of us who follow Christ are doing what we’re doing.
So I’m going to share with you what he shared with our church this past Sunday.
One of my husband’s favorite Bible stories is in Numbers. It’s the story about Joshua and Caleb (I’m sure you can guess why he likes it now) scouting out the promised land with a handful of other spies and realizing that they are more than able to occupy it.
But the other Israelites are afraid of the people who currently inhabit this promised land, and they tell their wandering people that this is a land that devours its inhabitants, and the people who live there are giants and their walls are massive.
And in typical Israel style, they freak out and decide God doesn’t know what’s going on and His plan clearly wasn’t prepared for this new development, and they decide it would be better to go back to Egypt and be slaves.
Joshua and Caleb lose it. They tear their clothes and are incredibly distressed and they go before the people of Israel and plead with them to be reasonable.
“The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. 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.” (Numbers 14.7-8)
God was ready to deal with the inhabitants of the land He had promised to Israel. He wasn’t surprised by these giants, or their huge fortified walls. And Joshua and Caleb had the strength of spirit to remember in the panic of those around them that they were God’s chosen people, and He had told them time and time again how He delighted in them.
I’m Israel all the time. I am overwhelmed by my circumstances, the walls I see or the giants I imagine that lie in wait behind them, and I consider turning tail and heading back to my old life, because at least there I had some illusion of control.
But God isn’t startled by the things that surprise me, He isn’t worried by the things that cause me anxiety, and He is more than prepared to deal with the obstacles that stand between me and the land He has promised me.
Where is God leading you, friend? Wherever it is, He knows what challenges lie ahead of you. He knew they were there when He called you. He is ever-prepared, regardless of how things seem on our end. He delights in you. Do you trust Him?
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P.S. We would love to know what you think. Won’t you please leave us a comment?
Laura Hyers is a Tampa native, writer, and the newly wed wife of musician Caleb. She recently graduated from the University of South Florida with a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a concentration in literature and is currently teaching preschool. When not chasing a class of two-year-olds, Laura is writing and fighting fierce bouts of wanderlust. She loves music, reading, being near the ocean, and dreaming big over huge cups of coffee with her best friend Lakin. Laura blogs at http://littlebirdmarie.wordpress.com.
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