SCRIPTURE:
2 Normally it takes only eleven days to travel from Mount Sinai to Kadesh-barnea, going by way of Mount Seir. 3 But forty years after the Israelites left Egypt, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses addressed the people of Israel, telling them everything the Lord had commanded him to say.
Deuteronomy 1:2-3
OBSERVATION:
God has a Promised Land in store for you, and it’s much closer than you think. But I wonder if you’re doing anything to delay yourself from God’s Promised Land.
The book of Deuteronomy is Moses’ last words to the Israelites before he dies. He begins these words by reminding the Israelites that their journey from God’s promise to the Promised Land could have taken only eleven days. But how long did it take them? 40 years. That’s more than 1300x times more than needed to take.
What took so long? Why was their journey to the Promised Land delayed by that much? Scripture shows us three reasons:
- A lack of worship.
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the LORD says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. (Exodus 8:1 NIV)
Why did God bring His people out of Egypt? For the sake of worship. God broke them free from the bondage of slavery so that they would worship Him. Honor Him. Value Him above all things. But did they worship Him? No. They complained to Him, dishonored Him, and even chose to worship other gods that they themselves created. And what’s the worst part about this? They worshipped themselves rather than the God who set them free.
- A lack of obedience.
22 not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times— 23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. 24 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 14:22-24 NIV)
When Moses sent in the 12 spies to survey the land, rather than be obedient to God and His directions, they rebelled. They chose to see things through their eyes rather than God’s eyes, and they used the free will God gave them to serve their own purposes. And it was their hands following their hearts that delayed them from entry––for God knew that the only way to victory was His way. And He loved them far too much to send them in knowing that they would lead themselves to their own demise.
- A lack of trust.
12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” (Numbers 20:12 NIV)
When God commands Moses to speak to the rock for water to flow, instead, he strikes it because he “did not trust in [God] enough to honor [Him] as holy in the sight of the Israelites” (Numbers 20:12 NIV). He failed to trust in God and believe that God could do the same miracle in a new way. And his lack of trust also prevented him from giving God the honor He deserved. A wholehearted trust in God was the key to the endurance needed to fight for the Promised Land. And they delayed themselves from entry because they failed to develop the trust in God necessary to take on the Promised Land and the battles that awaited them.
APPLICATION:
When it comes to the story of the Promised Land, we tend to forget that the Israelites still needed to fight for it. It wasn’t an unoccupied, reserved territory that the Israelites could just claim upon entry; there were people living there––and those people were powerful, mighty, and intimidating. Thus, God was only willing to let the Israelites enter the Promised Land only when they were ready to fight with, from, and for God. And until they were ready, God allowed them to delay themselves for their own good.
And the same is true for you. God has a Promised Land in store for you, but He will allow you to delay yourself from entry as long as you continue to remain unprepared. Why? Because He loves you far too much to send you into battle long before you are ready to fight.
Prepare yourself for the Promised Land and stop delaying yourself from entry by:
- Worshipping God no matter what.
The purpose of your Promised Land is worship. God is giving you His promise and His Promised Land to draw you into a deeper worship, love, and relationship with Him. If you miss His purpose, you will delay yourself from His Promised Land. Worship God always––through the good, the bad, and everything in between––so that your default as you fight will be to worship instead of complain.
- Following God fully.
Not halfway. Not one foot in, one foot out, but all in. Completely. Fully. For partial obedience is still complete disobedience. In order to receive God’s Promised Land, you will need to follow His every direction. In your wilderness, God is training you to follow Him. Learn to follow Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength so that when your enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy, you’ll continue to follow God with pinpoint accuracy.
- Trusting God always.
Trust not in others, not in data, and not even in yourself. Trust in God. For only He will never let you down. The fight for God’s Promised Land is one in which faith will fuel you to victory. There will be times God will ask you to do something that doesn’t make sense and situations where you will need to go against your instincts. In those cases, you will need to trust in God, for only His way will lead you to what you truly desire.
Your delay is not God’s denial; it is His preparation. God is allowing you to delay yourself to get you ready to fight for what He has promised you. Prepare well. Take the time to make worship, obedience, and trust your default. For when you do, you will be ready to take on God’s Promised Land for your life.
PRAYER:
God,
Thank You that there is a Promised Land in store for me. In the delays, help me to prepare well. Create in me a deeper worship, a deeper obedience, and a deeper trust in You so that I can fight the battles that await me to victory. And until I do, continue to delay me in Your grace, for You know better than I. I love You, Lord. Thank You for loving me.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
