October 21, 2005

So often in life we can be found hesitating upon the brink of obedience to God. In one sense, it is perfectly understandable given that our spiritual “eyes” are clouded with a haze of spiritual confusion and the temporal mixed signals that are constantly broadcast to us by the world. It is no easy task to decipher the billions of nuggets of information (mostly false) that come our way through the doorways of our senses, especially when our own flesh is allied with the world in its assault upon us.

For instance, our eyes can see all the obstacles that stand in our way of a life of fruitful peace and joy, such as a lack of material wherewithal, illness, or the disapproval of others. Or they behold the glittering distractions that lure us away from the only true Hope that we really have (e.g., new cars, scantily clad models posing sensually, or the promise of easy, low-cost solutions to the aforementioned obstacles).

Our ears, in their own right, hear the voices that speak subtly distorted alternatives to Truth, perhaps whispering defeat and failure on some occasions, selfish “entitlement” and arrogance on others. Such voices cast the appalling shadow of doubt and suspicion upon our interactions with others, thereby robbing us of the joy and peace that you and I were intended by God to receive.

Our bodies, too, can process signals from the world that raise up for us all sorts of reasons to fail and falter as we journey through life, tired as we tend to be, discouraged as our hearts often feel, and weak as our hands sometimes seem to be.

No. What we see with our earthly eyes tends to be only a very small part of the real picture. What we hear with our ears of flesh is very often a pipeline for all sorts of “white noise”. Even what we feel can run counter to the realities of the Divine Presence and interfere with His call for us to join Him in His activity in the world.

Yet, as “understandable” as all this may be, especially to the One Who really understands everything anyway, it is not excusable at all. God has not been and is not now deterred from His pursuit of you and me. But just what is it that He wants? Why does He not relent, give up, and just make a new and more cooperative creation that isn’t so fraught with moral weakness and character deficiencies?

It is because of His marvelous and amazing grace that He has set His sights upon you and even now awaits your acceptance of His awesome love and mercy.

“…To each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it” (Ephesians 4:7 NIV). It is this grace, the quality of mercy and compassion that moves His hand to rescue us from the deadly grip of sin and selfishness, that also prompts the heart of God to not leave us as spiritual orphans, but establishes for us an eternally enduring relationship as child and loving Father.

It is interesting to note God’s determination to send His people into a land that had been promised to them over four hundred years before (as told in the Bible book of Joshua). It was a land, mind you, that had long been overrun by a people who not only did not know God but also sneered at the mention of His name, even as they tossed the living bodies of their own children into the merciless flames that paid homage to entities that evidently were masquerading as gods. It was their vain hope that these phony objects of worship would somehow summon a plentiful yield in the following year’s harvest or grant them a series of victories over either those who would conquer them or those whom they planned to conquer.

Once before, when faced with characters of this ilk, they had made a choice to not to trust God and faced a terrible penalty: that of an entire generation having to miss out on seeing God’s promises fulfilled (see Numbers chapters 13 & 14). When the forty years had passed, God sent out the invitation again, and this time His people were ready to go with Him.

Instructing them in preparing for their entry into this places that God Himself had set aside for them, He spoke with His divine voice to the man that He had appointed to lead them, spelling out for him and for all the people their great hope in finally receiving the blessing that the Lord had promised them so long before.

“The LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: ‘ Moses My servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them – to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses…. No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you’” (Joshua 1:1-3, 5 NIV).

And then, as the words of that tremendous promise, “… I will never leave your nor forsake you…” sink deeply into our psyches, consider their inconceivable magnitude and the weight of them in the heart of the man appointed to lead in that hour. “You want ME to lead them?!?” Joshua may have wondered as doubt undoubtedly raised its ugly head. Nevertheless, he got ready to go, packing his bags and ordering his people to do the same.

Quite a different reaction than forty years earlier. Maybe their feet hurt and they had holes in their socks, but, whatever the reason, they decided that they must now listen to God’s invitation and have ears to hear God’s loving remonstrations.

“Be strong and courageous!” He says in verse six, as He then declares a special promise for Joshua. “Be strong and very courageous!” He repeats in verse seven, laying before their feet a specific path to walk in the keeping of His holy Law. “Be strong and courageous!” He commands them again in verse 9 as He wonderfully caps off why they can go into the “wide, wide world” and know that they will succeed, no matter the obstacles before them and the roadblocks raised up against them. Why should they be strong and courageous? How can they so “sure of themselves” as they go into this extremely dangerous situation?

They simply know God has promised to walk with them if they will come to Him through faith and yield themselves to His lordship… trusting indeed His promise to be with them wherever they go.

And so you and I are also compelled to leave our silly ideas about what God can and can’t do behind us. Let us now go into the inheritance that He has provided us, empowered by His promise to accompany us, resting in His provision for our salvation, and trusting in His plans for our futures. Let us, like Joshua, also be strong and courageous for we know that He Who saved us, also sustains us.

“Therefore, …let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest Who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have One Who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:14b-16 NIV).

This is precisely the time for a generation to finally stand up and collectively choose to believe the promises of God. It is our time, dear one, to be strong and courageous even IF our senses aren’t necessarily convinced. It is our time and it is our turn to rise up and make a difference, going in life where God would lead us.

(Thom Mollohan and his family have ministered in southern Ohio the past ten years.  He is the pastor of Pathway Community Church.   For comments or questions, he may be reached by email at pastorthom@pathwaygallipolis.com).