Reason #702

I’ve been seeing these “Best Moments of 2013” montages on Facebook and Instagram comprised with pictures from various occasions during the year. It’s hard to believe that we are less than a week away from 2014. This has probably been one of the most incredible and eventful years of my life. It has been one change after the next, and if I had to put together my own little slideshow of pictures, I would have to take at least one per month. I mean really, what a year. I know I’ve said this before, but if this is how 2013 went, I can’t even imagine what will happen next year.

 

The past two years truly have been the best years of my life to date. Even though they’ve been crammed full of crazy changes, I wouldn’t take them back for the world. I didn’t think life could get any better after 2012, and I am feeling that way about 2013. It is interesting, however, to see what the rest of the world is going through, isn’t it? Because if you polled a random group of people, they’d probably say otherwise. Our economy is in horrific shape, our leaders can’t seem to get on the same page, and so many people are suffering from lost homes, jobs, and loved ones. These past two years have been packed full of disappointment and tragedies for so many people, and so it makes me wonder what it is that has made the past two years of my life so good. Is it just a positive outlook? Is it just a fortunate time for me? Did I happen to stumble into the mother load of good luck? I don’t think so. The “universe” isn’t paying me back for being a good citizen, and I think karma could care the less about me.

 

As I’ve been reading through the old testament, I’ve noticed how God faithfully keeps every promise He made to His children. They go through some pretty rough stuff, but God never leaves them. Just when they think they’re about to be wiped out, He parts the Red Sea. When they wander through the wilderness and think they’re going to starve to death, He rains down food from Heaven. When they’re parched beyond belief, He sends water out of a rock. Their clothes never wear out and their feet never blister. Even in the desert, God’s people find prosperity. And when they head into battle, no matter how outnumbered they are, God grants them the win. In wartime, God’s people find victory. And when they head into the Promised Land, God’s people find goodness. And we see God’s love and generosity poured out on His children because even after all they have done, and after all they have been through, God takes them to a place filled with abundance. A place where they can find rest and peace after the intense journey they have been on.

 

And so there will be times in our lives where we face famine and war. Times where we wander through the desert for a lot longer than we’d like. Times where the victory seems unlikely and we feel afraid. There will be seasons when we experience loss and season where we have to give up the things we want. There will be times that our dreams fade and our worries become our realities. Sometimes God will tell us no, and sometimes we will have to be patient and wait. Our faith will be stretched, our character tested. We’ll be pushed to our limits and we’ll be forced to step out and trust Him. We’ll walk through the refining fires, we’ll be pressured and reshaped into something new. But no matter what stage we’re in, God will keep His promises. God never fails, ever. Even if people, the economy, our employer, or our families fail us, God won’t.

 

Notice that the trip to the Promised Land wasn’t easy. God promised He would get them there, but He didn’t promise that it would be without trial. The same goes for us, too. Because at the end of our journey waits the Promised Land. The place where we find rest and peace and abundance. The place where God restores us and redeems us. And so we journey on knowing that He is with us. A God who always keeps an eye on His people. Who is faithful to fulfill every promise He makes. And if we’re faithful to stay on track with Him, we’ll find that the journey to the Promised Land can be just as beautiful as Promised Land living.  

 

#702 - Because the journey to the Promised Land can be as beautiful as actually living there.

 

"He did miracles in the sight of their ancestors in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan. He divided the sea and led them through; he made the water stand up like a wall.  He guided them with the cloud by day and with light from the fire all night. He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them water as abundant as the seas; he brought streams out of a rocky crag and made water flow down like rivers." - Psalm 78:12-16