My husband brought home some "California" Strawberries yesterday. They were so huge, one almost encompassed the whole of the palm of my hand...and so sweet. I think I can safely say they were the best strawberries I ever tasted. This morning, I've been pondering this. When Moses sent the spies into the promised land of Canaan to search it out, they found some pretty ginormous fruit. It says in Numbers 13:23, "When they came to what is now known as the valley of Eshcol, they cut down a cluster of grapes so large that it took two of them to carry it on a pole between them! They also took samples of the pomegranates and figs." How would you like it to take two guys to carry in just a cluster of grapes you bought from the store? It'd be amazing, right?
You see, God was preparing to bring the Israelites into what was the very best for them...yet only Joshua and Caleb recognized it for what it was at the time. The rest of the spies could see that the fruit was huge, but instead they focused on the people of the land. The words out of their mouth were words of fear...there were giants in the land. This, in turn, made the Israelites fearful and angry that God would bring them to a place to be slaughtered. They didn't look at it from the perspective of Joshua and Caleb...they looked at it from the perspective of fear. If they had only remembered what God had done for them in the past, that He was on their side, and that He would provide their victory, they would have seen victory that very day. ...But they didn't see it because of their unbelief...because of their complaining. They went into the land on their own strength and met defeat.
I look back at my own life and realize how many times I could have had the very best, but instead I suffered defeat because I chose not to remember what God had done for me...because I chose to believe and trust in my own strength rather than the strength and protection of the Almighty God. Have you been there?
However, not all was defeat. There were times when I did remember who my God was...and in those times, I saw His victory...my victory. When my son, Josh, was born a month and a half early, it was one of the scariest times of my life. Here was this tiny little man that God had given me...so handsome...so perfect. The best moment of my life up until the doctors said he had something wrong with his blood. Something wasn't filtering out the way it was supposed to. That giant was scary for me...so I called on God for a miracle. I remember God fought the battle that day...God healed my son instantaneously. The next blood test the doctors took, my son's blood was completely normal, and he is now grown into a healthy, almost six foot tall young man... strong and mighty. That's what my God does. He not only grows us, but He prepares the very best for us along the way. A word for today...Take your eyes off the giants and focus on God...It is then you'll see not only the victory but the GINORMOUS fruit He's laid out before you!
You see, God was preparing to bring the Israelites into what was the very best for them...yet only Joshua and Caleb recognized it for what it was at the time. The rest of the spies could see that the fruit was huge, but instead they focused on the people of the land. The words out of their mouth were words of fear...there were giants in the land. This, in turn, made the Israelites fearful and angry that God would bring them to a place to be slaughtered. They didn't look at it from the perspective of Joshua and Caleb...they looked at it from the perspective of fear. If they had only remembered what God had done for them in the past, that He was on their side, and that He would provide their victory, they would have seen victory that very day. ...But they didn't see it because of their unbelief...because of their complaining. They went into the land on their own strength and met defeat.
I look back at my own life and realize how many times I could have had the very best, but instead I suffered defeat because I chose not to remember what God had done for me...because I chose to believe and trust in my own strength rather than the strength and protection of the Almighty God. Have you been there?
However, not all was defeat. There were times when I did remember who my God was...and in those times, I saw His victory...my victory. When my son, Josh, was born a month and a half early, it was one of the scariest times of my life. Here was this tiny little man that God had given me...so handsome...so perfect. The best moment of my life up until the doctors said he had something wrong with his blood. Something wasn't filtering out the way it was supposed to. That giant was scary for me...so I called on God for a miracle. I remember God fought the battle that day...God healed my son instantaneously. The next blood test the doctors took, my son's blood was completely normal, and he is now grown into a healthy, almost six foot tall young man... strong and mighty. That's what my God does. He not only grows us, but He prepares the very best for us along the way. A word for today...Take your eyes off the giants and focus on God...It is then you'll see not only the victory but the GINORMOUS fruit He's laid out before you!
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