Friday, October 30, 2009

Promised Land

This may end up being a long post, so I apologize in advance.

I’ve been kicking around some ideas for this post for a while, but there seems to be so much “information” that I cannot seem to get it into something readable for others. You see, God is moving… He’s working in my life and I’ve been experiancing and really been learning a TON lately! I’ll see what I can do to make it into something you can read and learn from as well.

The last several weeks have been spent doing Priscilla Shirer’s One In A Million Bible study. I did it with my ladies group – to read my feelings about those ladies see here. Along with this study, Pastor Don at Westover Church preached a sermon series on being Beautifully Broken – you can click here and hear them all (I would recommend it – they were amazing!). It seems that these two totally different ways of hearing and learning about God’s Word were meant to go together – at least for me they were. Each week at church Pastor Don would cover something that went with that weeks lesson from Priscilla or vice versa! It has been really cool!

Basically what I’ve been learning is that

1) Sometimes it’s God’s will, His purpose for us to go through hard times in our lives – just like the Israelites did when they left Egypt for the desert to head for the Promised Land.

2) During these times of brokeness God often uses our strengths to “break” us so we become less of ourselves and more of Him.

3) the whole point of those times is to bring us closer to God – even if we don’t feel Him, cannot see Him, don’t know what He’s doing in the moment... it’s a time to build our faith.

4) As we go through these wilderness times, these times of brokenness, we come into our own promised land, but for us it’s a way of life, not an actual place like Canaan was for the Israelites.

I’ve been challenged to live the promised-land life. To look around me and see all the things God is doing for me, just like He did for the Israelites in the desert. But unlike the Israelites, I’m going to try not to just wonder around right outside the promised land for 38 years like they did! I’m on the brink of promised land living – just like many of us are… but it’s scary to look into the promised land and see the “giants” and the huge fortified cities and think “God wants me to go there, by myself? Are you kidding me Lord?” But the thing I’m learning is we don’t have to go alone – God’s already there – waiting, calling me to come on! Just to trust in Him. He’s already given me the promise land, I just have to have the faith to take those crucial steps across the Jordan (which when the Israelites did that, God parted the waters and they walked over on dry land – all 2 million of them! Joshua 3 and 4)

I’m learning to look at my life and see God working in it, in all areas of my life – not just the “big decisions”, but each and every aspect of my daily life. In our homework Priscilla encouraged us to look back to see times when God was working, and to bring areas of my life now that I want Him to work in.

Now, lest you begin to think that God just does all these wonderful and rosy things in believers lives just because we ask, I should point out that asking for things in our lives should line up with God’s will… seeking Gods will brings about blessings… I guess that’s the simple way of saying all I’ve said above. Seeking God’s will, doing God’s will is hard sometimes. It hurts, it’s confusing and it seems weird or strange, even too hard at times. But it’s in those times, in obedience to God that we receive God’s blessings!

I’m convinced that I want to live inside the Promised Land, and not outside looking in wondering what God has for me?!!?

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I really like the idea that our promised land is a way of life and not a destination. I think that's right on target. If it were a destination, then we could keep complaining/resisting/being depressed because we haven't yet "arrived." But when the promised land is a way of life, there's no reason we can't arrive in the promised land today... right now... and start living in a new way. Love it, Holly. Keep it up!

Holly said...

I know it, isn't it wonderful! We can have that abundant life RIGHT NOW! It's been a fun learning adventure! We're going to be doin' another Priscilla Shirer study next called "Discerning The voice of God" Oh boy, I cannot wait to see what else God has to teach me!!!!