My daily bible reading recently included Psalm 27:13 ~ I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!
That reminded me of Deuteronomy where over and over Moses writes about how our obedience brings blessing while disobedience brings destruction. At times I have felt like I was in a never-ending desert land – it was hot and dry and just hard work to keep going. I was so thirsty for the land of the living. But lately there are refreshing waves of the land of the living! And while many times we won’t know the “why” to our earthly struggles, hardships, and disappointments, we do know that ultimately, obedience to God’s Word and the faithfulness of waiting on Him will bring blessing. The fullness of the Land won’t be experienced till Heaven but we can drink it in here too!
God knows when we are in the wilderness – the hard times, lonely seasons, scary nights, fretful weeks or months. For 40 years God was with the Israelites in the wilderness and He provided for them! Are there mile markers in your life where you have felt God’s presence and experienced His provision? May we not forget all that we have seen God do and then, let’s tell these things to our children and our grandchildren!
However, if you are in a week, month, or really long season of not seeing God move on your behalf, let me cheer you on from here. He is there. He is with you. He sees you. You are not alone or forgotten. And you’re right; you might not see Him at work right now. But that doesn’t mean He’s NOT working, not loving you, not caring about you. May this tough journey produce character, perseverance, hope, steadfastness and grit in your walk with Him. He hears your prayers and He is moving. You can bank on the fact that you drawing near to Him is the best investment you can make and it will be the most valuable outcome of whatever hardship you are facing.
Like the Israelites in Egypt, we too were once slaves (to sin), eternally separated from God. But God brought us out of that pit and rescued us! He gave us new life, a hope and a future. May your obedience bring rich blessings; may you choose life that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to Him, for He is your life and length of days!