Your Promised Land

 

Remember the story of the twelve spies sent out by Moses to scout out the Promised Land? (Numbers 13:17-33) The idea was to figure out the lay of the land and the strength of the opposition so to be familiar with it when God gave the command to “Go!” This was promised land. Promised by God Himself. Yet ten of the twelve returned quaking in their boots, certain this land could never be conquered. It was filled with giants!

When I taught this story to my elementary level students, we pooh-poohed their lack of faith and applauded Joshua and Caleb for holding on to God’s promise. We pictured ourselves as if we were the Two Heroes, determined to carry on and serve the Lord, to take Him at His Word.

But.

Have you ever found yourself in the same camp with the Timid Ten?

What has God promised in your life? In your writing?

In my life, God has promised several things to me. Some of those promises are now fulfilled, a marvelous part of my personal history. Some of them I’m still waiting on. For some I’ve been given directions as to when to move; others, I keep listening for instruction.

When God added to my passion to write, He promised support. He gave the command to follow that dream and promised He’d be there to help me learn and progress and publish. He didn’t promise multimillion-dollar bestsellers (He didn’t nix the idea either!). He didn’t even promise which book, if any, would be published.

He has kept His promise. I’ve had short stories published. I write a blog and contribute to other blogs on occasion. I’ve written articles for the local newspaper.

And yet. There are moments when I question the promise. I earn maybe two hundred dollars a year from writing. Should I be contributing to family finances—even though we have enough right now? I mutter, “I’m not a real author. Who am I fooling?” And Satan answers, “That’s right. You’re a fake. You can’t write books that people want to read.” And I freeze. Not with writer’s block. With fear. I join the ranks of the Timid Ten.

At that point, I must make a decision. Will I stay in that pit of doubt inviting God’s wrath, or will I face the giants, who appear so intimidating, and barrel through them? God already told me He has my back. I can barrel through without fear! Once Joshua and Caleb received the go-ahead from Jehovah, their army blew through Canaan like a series of tornadoes demolishing one city at a time.

We, too, can seek the Lord’s will, listen for His answer, and follow His directions to victory. Consider what giants might be intimidating you, whether it be a writing project or a life situation. Has God made any promises concerning that project? Has He promised to stand before you and behind you as you face difficult circumstances? Then stay constant in prayer. Move when He says to move. Wait when He says to wait. Write when He says to write. And rest when He says to rest.

Join the ranks of the Two Heroes and enter your promised land.