Promised Land

"...not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it." Numbers 14:23-24

God is speaking to Moses here about the Israelites and the active disobedience they have had to His commands. Moses pleads for his fellow people to be forgiven saying to the Lord that he has declared that He is "slow to anger and abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished..." (Numbers 14:18). God's response is just. Like Moses has remembered, the Lord does not leave the guilty unpunished. There has to be consequences for the sins of the the people He has called to be holy. However, He makes it a point to call out by name who has been faithful. He promises that Caleb will see the promised land. The point here: Only the faithful will see the promised land!!! This will hold true for the Israelites as God keeps His word, and the rest unfolds through scripture. It also holds true today: Only the faithful of us will see the promised land!! Now, we can of course see that that can mean heaven, because we know we have to believe in faith in Jesus to get there one day, but I also believe we can relate this to the promises God has for us individually. What is the "promised land" for you? What struggle are you desperately trying to overcome? What are you believing today that God will bring to pass? Be encouraged and challenged, friends: Only the faithful will see what He has promised! I know first hand that it is so hard to see beyond the challenges. I'm currently holding out for the promises God has to given me this season of life. I am clinging to them for dear life. It gets exhausting, tiring, depressing, you name it, BUT I don't want perish in the desert like the unfaithful Israelites! Let none of fall down before we reach what is coming! Hold on, dear friends, for their is blessing coming for those that are faithful to the King. Press on today towards the prize. Though the desert gets hot, we will not burn up. Though our legs get tired, we will keep walking. Though our hearts get discouraged, our faith will not grow weary. Though we cannot see it now, His promises are coming. I am speaking to myself as much as I am to anyone else reading this. Press on today. Be faithful. Believe in His power. I'm praying you and I reach our promised land! We serve a God who gives us what we need to make it, if we will just trust Him through the dry and desolate land we sometimes walk. Just keep pressing forward.

[Or like me in Germany currently, a wet and soggy land. Maybe the better phrase for me here is 'Just keep swimming' ;-) ]

*If you read this and have a specific prayer I can pray for you, please don't hesitate to share! <3