Promised Lands

Do y'all ever read anything by Holley Gerth? She's a writer for Dayspring and I really enjoy her writing style.

Yesterday she wrote this post, which I think would be worth your time to hop over and check out. As I read it, God used her words to do a little heart-work in me. (And I am not gonna lie to you...I've been heart-work-project-number-one this week. I'm POOPED!)

This was the part that got me: "It always takes a step of faith to get to the Promised Land. Always. And if you wait until you’re unafraid, you’ll never cross."

When I was dating Isaac, and he told me he had to go into his wilderness alone and I couldn't come with him, one of my first questions was "Are you planning to come back for me so we can go into the Promised Land?" (Because we had already talked about getting married and we'd begun planning our forever life together.) He said yes.

During the conversation we had when we broke up, he told me he couldn't go into the Promised Land with me - but he hoped I would find my Joshua who would go with me.

Not exactly what a girl wants to hear.

But, months later, when my heart began to calm down from the excruciating pain of being left - of knowing someone else was chosen to fulfill the role I'd been promised - I began to pray for Joshua. Began to pray that God would indeed send a Joshua who wouldn't be too afraid to enter a Promised Land with me.

And in all those prayers, it was always about Joshua. About praying for God to prepare HIS heart to find me. To lead me. To love me.

It never once occurred to me that I should spend some time praying for myself. That after the hurts I've been through, I might end up being too scared to take a step of faith toward the Promised Land.

Isn't that exactly what happened to the Israelites? Moses lost his privilege of taking them into the Promised Land...he raised up Joshua to be equal to the task and then OH WAIT!!! The nation chickened out. Sure the land was everything they'd hoped of and more...but did you see those obstacles? Yeah it's too scary. We'll stay here. Thanks!

I still believe the Promised Land will be mine someday. I'm excited about it. But in the meantime, I've switched up my prayers a bit...praying for the courage to take whatever steps of faith are necessary to get there. That I won't spend so much time waiting to be unafraid that I just never cross at all.

I don't know what your Promised Land is. But I do know getting there will require facing some obstacles. None that can't be overcome with the Lord's leading. They aren't obstacles to Him, you know. They're opportunities to display His glory.

But don't be so afraid that you miss the bounty of the promise. It's so worth it.