You are not in this alone

The Israelites, after their long sojourn in the wilderness, had become doubtful and discouraged even though they were now on the verge of the Promised Land. God had brought them this far, yet they were demotivated and nervous about their fate, so He tells Moses to send 12 leaders, one from each tribe, to explore this land of abundance He had promised to give them. In doing so, they could see for themselves that the promise was real.

Upon their return, they gave this report,

“We went to the land to which you sent us and, oh! It does flow with milk and honey! Just look at this fruit! The only thing is that the people who live there are fierce, their cities are huge and well-fortified.” – Numbers 13:27-28 (MSG)

The evidence of the Promise was sure but there were challenges to overcome, and obstacles to surmount. Ten of the twelve scouts saw this opposition as invincible and concluded that it was not worth fighting for, however two of the twelve, Caleb and Joshua, saw the promise in all its rich abundance. 

But it was the disheartening part of the report that the people chose to accept and it made them question the validity of God’s promise.

How many of you are on the verge of your Promised Land but all you can see are the challenges before you? God’s people always have and always will encounter obstacles on their way to receiving what He has promised, you are no exception.

Now pay attention to what Joshua and Caleb said, 

“The land we walked through and scouted out is a very good land—very good indeed. If God is pleased with us, He will lead us into that land, a land that flows, as they say, with milk and honey. And He’ll give it to us. Just don’t rebel against God! And don’t be afraid of those people. Why, we’ll have them for lunch! They have no protection and God is on our side. Don’t be afraid of them!” – Numbers 14:7-9 (MSG)

Be the two and not the ten! The majority of people can always find a reason not to believe and go to extremes to convince you not to believe but if God has given you a promise, the opinion of the crowd doesn’t matter; all that matters is what God has told you. Even if you stand alone, stand alone because the truth is, you are not in this alone – God is with you. He is on your side. Not believing God is rebelling against God, so, only believe.

Those who see the obstacle as insurmountable or focus on their own ability, will be defeated – God offers them no protection. Put your faith and trust in the One who is able to do anything, far more than you could ever imagine, the One for whom nothing is too difficult to accomplish (see Ephesians 3:20; Jeremiah 32:27) and believe that what He says will happen, will happen.

Beloved, God will never say and not act, that’s not how He operates (Numbers 23:19). As a matter of fact, “God is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; He won’t leave you. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t worry.” – Deuteronomy 31:8 (MSG). 

Amen †