"But, God I'm Scared..."
Every year about this time I read the book of Deuteronomy about the children of Israel finally going into the land that God promised. This is the time of year that many are beginning new things as a new school year quickly approaches. And new beginnings often carry with it a unique sense of fear or anxiousness.
When reading Deuteronomy, I cannot help but to think about the constant command that God gives in this passage of "not being afraid." The children of Israel were in a delicate place in Deuteronomy. They had experienced God's provision in the wilderness and seen the results of refusing to live life believing that God works for our benefit. But, where God was calling them to was a huge challenge. There were giants in the land, there were a lot of people who would need to be conquered, and so much more. There was the potential for a huge crisis of faith here. So it appears that Moses works really hard to make sure the people remember who their God is and what He's done on their behalf. Theirs is the God who chose them, miraculously fed and clothed them, fought battles for them, forgave them when they strayed, loved them, and gave them EVERY reason to trust His faithful love and goodness.
In many ways I believe we have those crossroads, where we are so close to entering God's promise; when we are so close to walking into that for which we prayed. And then...we get stuck on fear. The challenges scare us enough into thinking that maybe what we were praying and longing for isn't really what we want. So the message for us today is not only to NOT be afraid, but to REMEMBER all the reasons God has purposefully given us to trust Him. I believe it is in the remembering that we gain the courage to face the challenge of walking into where we've prayed for so long to be.
Remember S.W.A.G. "It's all about the way you walk." (Psalm. 128:1 "Blessed is everyone who walks in His ways.")
When reading Deuteronomy, I cannot help but to think about the constant command that God gives in this passage of "not being afraid." The children of Israel were in a delicate place in Deuteronomy. They had experienced God's provision in the wilderness and seen the results of refusing to live life believing that God works for our benefit. But, where God was calling them to was a huge challenge. There were giants in the land, there were a lot of people who would need to be conquered, and so much more. There was the potential for a huge crisis of faith here. So it appears that Moses works really hard to make sure the people remember who their God is and what He's done on their behalf. Theirs is the God who chose them, miraculously fed and clothed them, fought battles for them, forgave them when they strayed, loved them, and gave them EVERY reason to trust His faithful love and goodness.
In many ways I believe we have those crossroads, where we are so close to entering God's promise; when we are so close to walking into that for which we prayed. And then...we get stuck on fear. The challenges scare us enough into thinking that maybe what we were praying and longing for isn't really what we want. So the message for us today is not only to NOT be afraid, but to REMEMBER all the reasons God has purposefully given us to trust Him. I believe it is in the remembering that we gain the courage to face the challenge of walking into where we've prayed for so long to be.
Remember S.W.A.G. "It's all about the way you walk." (Psalm. 128:1 "Blessed is everyone who walks in His ways.")
Comments
Post a Comment