Look! He has placed the land in front of you. Go and occupy it as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has promised you. Don’t be afraid! Don’t be discouraged!’
“But you all came to me and said, ‘First, let’s send out scouts to explore the land for us. They will advise us on the best route to take and which towns we should enter.’ “This seemed like a good idea to me, so I chose twelve scouts, one from each of your tribes. They headed for the hill country and came to the valley of Eshcol and explored it. They picked some of its fruit and brought it back to us. And they reported, ‘The land the LORD our God has given us is indeed a good land.’ “But you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God and refused to go in. Deuteronomy 1:21-26 NLT
Have you ever had one of those ideas that just seemed really good? You thought about it, you looked at it from every direction and it was just a really good idea.
Then you look at it from hindsight and realize it was just one of the worst ideas you could of ever had.
You’re not alone. Moses had the same experience. In our scripture today the Israelites had just come to the edge of the land that God was going to give them. They had been traveling for some time, complaining along the way and doubting God at every turn, yet He had been so extremely faithful to them at every bend of the road.
I can imagine they were tired of the travel and wanted to settle down. I know I like stability in my life, I’m sure they wanted to be stable in their lives.
But…they had a really big problem with trust, especially trusting their God.
What caught my eye as I read the scripture was, Moses said, ‘This seemed like a good idea to me’. The leaders of the tribes had come to Moses and said let’s scout out the land, see where to attack, where to set up their forces, get a battle plan drawn up. And, in our world, yes, this seemed like a good idea.
Not in God’s world. The Israelites forgot one important tactic. They forgot to ask God. Even Moses didn’t think to consult the LORD and it cost them 40 years in the desert. They sent the scouts in, found the land was wonderful, but the people were formidable. They became afraid. They took their eyes off God and all they saw were the giants and defeat.
As another day takes us closer to the cross, are you looking at something big in your life that causes you concern, fear and discouragement? Around every corner of the day something could crop up and be a giant in your eyes. Finances deteriorating, marriages crumbling, children challenging authority, health reminding us we are mortal.
As we approach these concerns, more than likely you will come up with many ideas to confront your challenges. You will gather knowledge and try to make wise decisions. But, don’t be like Moses and just ‘think it seems like a good idea’. Ask God what His idea is, what direction He would like you to take, seek wisdom and knowledge. It may not be the world’s idea of a good idea but trust that it’s the best idea for God’s plan.
Don’t be like the Israelites and look at the challenge and only see that. Tip your head up and look into the eyes of your Savior and know He is bigger than any giant you may be facing.
My Dear Jesus,
I praise You for being so much bigger than anything I’m facing today. You gave Your life so I could be with You right now. You gave me Your Spirit so I will have Your wisdom and knowledge to guide me. I truly want to live my life for You, but so many days I let my vision drop to earthly things. Remind me to always look to You when making my choices. Remind me that You have the best plan for me. Please give me the courage to take the risk and know the joy of serving You. I love You Jesus!
Amen
With The Savior 