WE FOLLOW

Joshua and Caleb

*When God told Moses to send some men to explore the land of Canaan which he was going to give to the Israelites, they came back saying "the land is bountiful but the people are strong and their cities large and fortified, and we cannot defeat them."

Caleb immediately stood up and said,

“We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” I believe Caleb recognised that God was on their side and would make them successful.

But the Israelites fell to their knees in fear. Joshua and Caleb were horrified at this and said, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”

But the whole assembly were against them and refused. Then the Lord said, “How long will these people treat me with contempt and refuse to believe in me in spite of all I have done,”  and he said he would strike them down with a plague. Moses begged for forgiveness and reminded the Lord that he is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiveness, so the Lord relents, but says he will not allow anyone over 20 to enter the land he has promised except for Caleb and Joshua who believed in him, so he directed them back into wilderness.*

What I take from this is that even when the odds are against you, when he is for you, nothing can stand in your way, because the battle is the Lords, not yours. (1 Samuel 17:45-47). Those who believe will gain the bounty of the Lord because he is pleased with them.

When he leads, we should follow. When we do what he is asking, when he says not a hair on our heads will be harmed, that is what will happen – we will be unharmed. The victory will be ours because we walk in his victory – not our own.

If we are asked to be strong even though we may be killed, he will tell us before-hand. (I.e. Revelations 13:5-10). But if he says you will win and you follow him, you will win! That is why Joshua and Caleb entered the promised land when even Moses did not. And that is why David became king. They followed the path the Lord had set for them.

It is not always clear what is going to happen, and we often step in to try and sort it ourselves, which usually causes problems rather than solves them.

But if we place ourselves in his hands and ask forgiveness for our wrongdoing, he will put us back on the path he wants us to tread. For our part, we must be willing to go, even when we can’t see the ending, or even when the ending does not look good. Its trust that our heavenly Father wants and its something that we seriously struggle with – especially when satan is whispering negativity in our ears.

I have often had to say sorry for jumping into a situation because I can’t stand the stress. I pray that my faith and trust will increase in the future and that I will be able to follow him more closely. To his glory, not mine....and not only me, but you also.

The great thing is he loves me even as I am, and will keep giving me chances, because he does not give up on us as easily as we give up on him and each other. I am so grateful for his love. He makes me a much better person than I could be on my own.

Praise the Lord for all he has done, is doing and will do for mankind.

This is how I understand my God.

Read for yourself, see what you think.

*-* from numbers chapters 13 & 14