Promised Land

Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will not fail you nor abandon you.
Deuteronomy 31:8

A new year can be full of so many emotions. 
Relief for making it through the previous year.
Excitement for what the new year will hold.
Fear about what may lie ahead.
Nostalgia for what is left behind.

I wonder how the Israelites felt when it was finally time to cross the Jordan River into the Promised Land.

Relieved that they had finally made it?
Excited to see what the new land would hold?
Afraid of the unknown?
Nostalgic knowing Moses wouldn’t be going with them?

The 40 years east of the Jordan were spent in seemingly aimless wandering. But that time was all preparation for the big game, the main event.

The test came when it was finally time to cross. The Lord chose the time of year when the river was at its highest, overflowing its banks. He promised to go ahead of them, then told them to step in and watch Him work. He didn’t stop the river until the priests took the first steps into the raging waters.

This is full surrender and complete trust. Faith is easy, it’s not hard at all to say we believe what the Lord has said. Obedience is a little harder, this is where we have to actually act, even when we don’t always understand why. Trust combines the two, it requires the surrender of our own ideas and our own will. Trust is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak.

What a comfort for the Israelites to know that the Lord would personally be going ahead of them. And what a comfort to me to know that the same promise is mine if I choose to accept it.

As I look into a new year, I am encouraged that the Lord is going first. He is clearing the way for me. He is not standing behind me shoving me forward blindly, but walking in front, holding my hand and leading me. He is making the path, unlocking the locks, opening the doors. He will already be there when I step into the room.

And at the same time His steady hand is at my back, supporting me as I go. Looking back I can see all of the things He has already brought me through and know that He will do it again!

This is how I know that the Lord will come through and get me to the other side. This is where my faith, obedience, and trust come from. This is what I hold onto as I cross into my own Promised Land.

However, the Promised Land is not the end goal, it’s just the beginning.

The crossing of the Jordan River wasn’t the end of the work for the Israelites. After they crossed, they still had territory to take with the Lord’s help.

On the other side of trust is my Promised Land. It is a land filled with fruits, but it is a land to be conquered by following closely to the Lord. There is much work still to be done.

My promise is not for a life of leisure, for relaxation and comfort. It is for the rest that comes after a hard day’s work, the satisfaction of a job well done, the peace from knowing I am doing what the Lord has asked me to do.

The biggest obstacle between aimless wandering and the Promised Land is trust.
Which river bank are you standing on?