Last week I dove head long into these two Old Testament chapters, and pulled out a few leadership lessons. The truth is that I barely scratched the surface of all the leadership material in Numbers 13 & 14. There are so many angles that I could take a month of blogging just to cover them.
Today, I want to begin looking again at these passages, because I think there are more than just leadership lessons that we can pull from this story. What I write about today describes a phase I feel like I am in at the moment.
To refresh your memory, as we get to Numbers 13, the Israelites had been wandering in the desert for some time. They finally arrive at the Jordan River, and are preparing to cross it in order to claim the area known as Canaan that God had promised them. But, before they could go in, God had a recon mission that needed to be completed.
Numbers 13:1-2a reads:
The Lord now said to Moses, "Send out men to explore the land of Canaan, the land I am giving to the Israelites."
Moses would end up sending twelve tribal leaders into Canaan to scout it out. I can only imagine the excitement of the moment. No doubt there was a great anticipation among the people. Their long, tiring journey had reached it's climax. All the grumbling during bad days; all the rejoicing during the miraculous times has brought them to the edge of the Jordan. In only a few short weeks, they would be moving into their new homeland.
When we read the scripture from the exodus out of Egypt, through the dry desert heat, and finally to the doorstep of Canaan, we see many times where the people grew impatient with both God and Moses. When things didn't go the way they expected, they declared their desire to return to slavery in Egypt. When Moses went away to get the Ten Commandments, the people became restless and took matters into their own hands, and created a golden calf to be their god.
But, as Numbers 13 starts, all that is behind them now. Perhaps that's a good lesson for us to keep in mind. Those times when we feel like we're wandering in the desert of life, when God seems a hundred miles away, and we're tempted to take matters into our own hand.... Well, those are the times when we need to silence our restlessness, and recognize the truth of Numbers 13:1-2a. God isn't through with you. In fact, if you stay on His course, you'll eventually find yourself on the edge of a mighty opportunity.
That truth especially applies if you are a Christ-follower. God has an awesome plan for you. A few years back, Steven Curtis Chapman sang about this plan, calling it "The Great Adventure."
So, my encouragement for you today is that as you go through those deserts in your walk with God, be prepared to encounter the Jordan. You may not be able to see it at the moment, but it's there. God's just leading you to it. This desert phase is temporary. At the right time, God will lead you into that "promised land."
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