The Israelites were poised and
ready to take their Promised Land. But Moses first addressed them.
He reminded them of what God had done for them in the past, he
again stated God's Law and principles to them and he finally made a
sincere call for a recommitment to God. Moses wanted to make sure
that they were ready to enter into their dream land.
This made me wonder. If I were an
Israelite, how would I have felt standing on the banks of the
Jordan river? They were excited no doubt, but I think they might
have been a bit nervous too. Put yourselves in their shoes.
All of them (except Caleb and Joshua) were 20 years and younger
when they left Egypt. So in fact all most of them knew were the
wilderness and Moses as their leader. They didn't know anything
else. And here they were on the verge of a totally new chapter in
their lives. They knew God was with them and they knew that there
was a good land waiting for them, but there were fortified cities
and giants waiting for them. They still had a 'mountain' to climb
in getting rid of the occupants of the land, before they could
settle and enjoy the land of plenty given to them. It must have
felt like a formidable task lying ahead. But when God said they
must move, they did, with pounding hearts and all.
The unknown is always a bit of a
risk. For risk seekers it is fun, but for most people that are risk
averse, it is a daunting prospect. But God was with them and as you
probably know, He helped them in conquering the land that He had
decided to give them.
Now what if God tells you today to
move out? Will you do it? It is such a difficult question isn't it?
We as humans so easily fall into a comfort zone. Even if the
promised future is better than what we have at the moment, the
future is unknown and it makes us scared sometimes. But God can
tell us to move at any time. Sometimes we need to climb a mountain
first like the Israelites had to, but if God is leading you out,
you need to go and take the first step. He will help you.
The important thing is to take the
first step. But before you do, do what Moses did. First of all,
look back at how God has looked after you in the past. Pause and
reflect again at how He has provided for you and gain confidence
that He will help you in this future endeavour too. Secondly, make
sure that you have God's principles inside and that you are walking
in love, love for God and love for others. This is important, as
you need to keep on God's pathway and within His will, otherwise
you might make wrong detours on the path that He is leading you to.
And in the third place, make a renewed commitment to God, because
if you are not in fellowship with Him and if your relationship is
not where it is supposed to be, you might miss His leading within
the new adventure He is leading you into. It is important to be in
tune with God and to follow His voice.
God had a bright future ahead for
the Israelites, they simply needed to obey and follow Him. And the
same is true for us. He has a bright future for us too, and when He
tells us to go, we should follow closely in His footsteps to where
He wants to lead us.
Thank you Father that we can look
forward to a wonderful future with You. We must admit that we are
scared sometimes and that we don't know where the road is leading
us to, but thank you that we can know that You are in the future
already. We look forward to Your guidance and help. In Jesus Name.
Amen