Staying the Course

by Keith Gardner

The story of the Israelites journey from the bondage of Egypt to the land long promised to Abraham, the father of our faith, is the story of our birth into new life and our passage into maturity in Christ. The trip is not an easy one. Like the Hebrews of old, our journey has victories and failures, faithfulness and rebellion. There are those moments our hearts follow hard after our Father God and our time in His presence is an unquenchable thirst; and there are those moments when we so easily choose to go our own way, forgetting our promises and the lessons recently learned.

Anyone who says the path is easy and the victories are sweet is not on the same journey. They are still camped on the banks of the Red Sea. Victories come only after fighting the battles. The joy of the harvest is available only after the hard work of plowing, and planting and tending. We will not lay an eye on the Promised Land without traversing the desert and overcoming its pearls.

The trip however is not all danger. There are those moments of peace and rest. There is joy after the hard fought battle, when our enemy has been subdued. There is the elation of drinking the sweet water flowing from the rock and the satisfaction found in the taste of manna harvested without the hard work of planting. There is the comfort of knowing the Creator of all things continues to show Himself as a cloud by day and a fire by night. His presence is always with us.

There is one thought that serves as a constant reminder; this desert is not our home. We are only passing through. We are going to a land described as flowing with milk and honey. The ideas of that land spur us on by the hope of possessing it. Only, hope deferred makes the heart sick. When we continue to face those difficult times and we lose sight of our ultimate goal, our dreams of bondage again has an appeal. We begin to long for those days without the battles, forgetting that those days were also without hope. (Numbers 11:4-10, 21-23, 31-34)

We also risk losing sight of today’s lessons when the goal of the journey becomes too important. The goal to take hold of this new land is important, but not at the expense of overlooking what God has for us today. Today’s lessons prepare us for tomorrow’s lessons, and tomorrow’s lessons prepare us for life in the Promised Land. If we fail to take the time to learn from our strategically placed lessons, we fail to continue traversing in the will of God. (Numbers 16:1-35)

Our purpose is to keep moving; following the leading of the Holy Spirit. Finding joy in the trials; being grateful for the blessings and the victories; resisting the temptation to become complacent and remaining content in the circumstances of God’s purpose.