Ask God for a Mountain
Joshua 14:7-9 (NIV)
“I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions, 8 but my brothers who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt with fear. I, however, followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly. So on that day Moses swore to me, 'The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly.' " Joshua 14:7-9 (NIV)
Pastor’s Blog
Sometimes the best thing we can do is to do something difficult. Life is not about comfort. It’s about saying, “God give me another mountain to climb.”
That’s what Joshua did at age 40. He with 11 other spies had completed a reconnaissance mission in the future land of Israel. The 12 had returned with both a majority report and a minority report. The former said, “it’s too tough”. The latter (Joshua and Caleb) said, “let’s go”. The majority won and an entire generation died in the desert.
Sometimes I wonder if our pursuit of pain avoidance isn’t the very thing that gives the most pain and misery of all.
Yet Joshua didn’t die in the desert. His next 40 years, though very difficult and frustrating, were not capitulation to being stuck in the desert forever. He still wanted the “mountain”. And he got it. He lived not only to see the day when Israel would enter the promised land, he lead the charge.
I think it’s never too late to ask God for a “mountain”, a difficult challenge to live out for His sake. This life is not the Promised Land. It is training for the Promised Land.
It's very frightening to ask for a mountain, Pastor Jeff. We've had so many without asking... so many surgeries over the last five years and so many complications. Could we handle another? Certainly. Can I ask for one? Uncertain...
ReplyDelete