I have a new appreciation for how the residents of Narnia must have felt during the reign of the White Witch. I am tired of all this cold and snowy weather. I mean, it is March, after all! It is time for spring to do its thing already. Even the kids are groaning at the forecasts of another snowstorm!
Sometimes, we have seasons in our lives that are like this, too. Seasons that are difficult and trying and that just don’t seem to end.
And when there is no way to know when it might end, enduring becomes a challenge. It’s the uncertainty of a diagnosis, the unknown time before finding a new job, the unsure outcome of a loved one’s struggle with addiction, the unforeseeable future in a relationship in trouble. It’s wondering if you’re ever going to catch up on the mountain of bills, if you’re ever going to have a spouse, or if you’re ever going to have a baby. These situations (and more like them) can be like a winter that just won’t end.
I’ve been studying the story of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt and subsequent wandering in the desert after they failed to trust God’s promises to give them the already inhabited promised land. Over and over again, God provided for the Israelites. He miraculously gave them water, food, and victory over much stronger enemies. He led them through the wilderness with a visible cloud during the day and fire by night.
Then in Numbers 13 and 14, God sends 12 spies into Canaan to scout it out and report back to the assembly. God is ready to lead them into this fertile land and has promised to give them victory over the people already living there. Twelve spies went, and ten came back saying they could not possibly defeat the people in Canaan.
I always feel so bad for Joshua and Caleb in this story. Apparently, these two men were the only two who trusted God enough to obey Him. But because everyone else in the community allowed their fear to overcome their faith in God, even these two faithful men had to wander around in the desert for an additional forty years until all the other adults died. I mean, wow.
It wasn’t their fault, but they were stuck in a long season of waiting just the same. And I know that’s true for many people who are feeling stuck today, too. But God never left them. He never forgot His promises to these two faithful men. And eventually, they both crossed the Jordan River and saw God fulfill those promises. And during those forty years, Joshua continued to serve God by helping Moses. (We don’t know as much about Caleb, but we know he continued to follow God faithfully, also.) During that time, God prepared Joshua to be the one who would lead the people in battle over and over again as God gave them the promised land one piece at a time.
This is so encouraging to me! Even in the difficult seasons of my life that seem to drag on, God is with me and He is working in and around me to fulfill His good purposes. I have hope because I know that God is good and He wants good things for me. Right now our world is broken by sin, but He has promised that one day, He will make all things new.
Jeremiah 29:11 is a favorite verse of many, including me. Jeremiah prophesied to the Israelites about their fall to the Babylonian Empire, but he also prophesied about the end of that season of captivity. He proclaimed a message from God that was full of hope:
10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:10-13
I’m fairly confident that this winter weather won’t last too much longer, and I will definitely be rejoicing when spring really begins! But more than that, I am confident that whatever season you may be in right now, you can have hope because God has a plan for you, too. He is not hiding, but He does want us to seek Him with all our heart. He wants to use even the long, difficult seasons to draw us closer to Him. I don’t know about you, but I really want to be faithful like Joshua and Caleb even in the challenges of life.
Lord, help us to trust You more each day. Help us to see Your hand at work around us and to know that You have a good and perfect plan for us -- to know how much You love us and want to give us hope and a future. And help us to know how to help each other to make it through the difficult seasons that stretch on and on. May we be encouragers to one another and remind each other of Your love and Your hope and Your joy!
Sometimes, we have seasons in our lives that are like this, too. Seasons that are difficult and trying and that just don’t seem to end.
And when there is no way to know when it might end, enduring becomes a challenge. It’s the uncertainty of a diagnosis, the unknown time before finding a new job, the unsure outcome of a loved one’s struggle with addiction, the unforeseeable future in a relationship in trouble. It’s wondering if you’re ever going to catch up on the mountain of bills, if you’re ever going to have a spouse, or if you’re ever going to have a baby. These situations (and more like them) can be like a winter that just won’t end.
I’ve been studying the story of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt and subsequent wandering in the desert after they failed to trust God’s promises to give them the already inhabited promised land. Over and over again, God provided for the Israelites. He miraculously gave them water, food, and victory over much stronger enemies. He led them through the wilderness with a visible cloud during the day and fire by night.
Then in Numbers 13 and 14, God sends 12 spies into Canaan to scout it out and report back to the assembly. God is ready to lead them into this fertile land and has promised to give them victory over the people already living there. Twelve spies went, and ten came back saying they could not possibly defeat the people in Canaan.
I always feel so bad for Joshua and Caleb in this story. Apparently, these two men were the only two who trusted God enough to obey Him. But because everyone else in the community allowed their fear to overcome their faith in God, even these two faithful men had to wander around in the desert for an additional forty years until all the other adults died. I mean, wow.
It wasn’t their fault, but they were stuck in a long season of waiting just the same. And I know that’s true for many people who are feeling stuck today, too. But God never left them. He never forgot His promises to these two faithful men. And eventually, they both crossed the Jordan River and saw God fulfill those promises. And during those forty years, Joshua continued to serve God by helping Moses. (We don’t know as much about Caleb, but we know he continued to follow God faithfully, also.) During that time, God prepared Joshua to be the one who would lead the people in battle over and over again as God gave them the promised land one piece at a time.
This is so encouraging to me! Even in the difficult seasons of my life that seem to drag on, God is with me and He is working in and around me to fulfill His good purposes. I have hope because I know that God is good and He wants good things for me. Right now our world is broken by sin, but He has promised that one day, He will make all things new.
Jeremiah 29:11 is a favorite verse of many, including me. Jeremiah prophesied to the Israelites about their fall to the Babylonian Empire, but he also prophesied about the end of that season of captivity. He proclaimed a message from God that was full of hope:
10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:10-13
I’m fairly confident that this winter weather won’t last too much longer, and I will definitely be rejoicing when spring really begins! But more than that, I am confident that whatever season you may be in right now, you can have hope because God has a plan for you, too. He is not hiding, but He does want us to seek Him with all our heart. He wants to use even the long, difficult seasons to draw us closer to Him. I don’t know about you, but I really want to be faithful like Joshua and Caleb even in the challenges of life.
Lord, help us to trust You more each day. Help us to see Your hand at work around us and to know that You have a good and perfect plan for us -- to know how much You love us and want to give us hope and a future. And help us to know how to help each other to make it through the difficult seasons that stretch on and on. May we be encouragers to one another and remind each other of Your love and Your hope and Your joy!
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