Day nineteen: Believing the Good Report of God and Trusting God’s Faithfulness.

During the delivery of my firstborn, I vividly recall that moment when they told me it was time to push. To my surprise, I felt a sudden bout of stage fright, questioning the whole idea of having a baby. I changed my mind and didn’t want to go through with it. But I had no choice. That baby was coming, and that was all there was to that.

The same thing happened to the Israelites.

After months of wandering through the wilderness, they finally reached the edge of the Promised Land. Moses sent twelve spies to assess the land, likely to strategize how to enter and conquer. He might have hoped that seeing the land flowing with milk and honey would encourage the people. 

But the spy mission actually had the opposite effect! While the spies saw the land's goodness, they also encountered its inhabitants—giants that made them feel like grasshoppers. Convinced they couldn't overcome these formidable foes, the spies returned with a bad report for the entire nation. They described the land as one that devoured its inhabitants, warning of impending destruction if they dared to enter.

Yet this was the land God had promised to give them! In fact, two of the twelve spies reminded them not to fear because God would fight for them. Despite this exhortation, everyone believed the bad report. They put their trust in the circumstances and the returning spies instead of relying on the God who had led them through Egypt, parted the Red Sea, and provided manna and water in impossible situations. 

When standing on the verge of receiving the promised land, they shrunk back.

How often do we, like them, fear that what God is calling us to will lead to our ruin? How often do we place our trust in the visible, natural circumstances than in the Promise Keeper who has guided us through challenges in the past? How many opportunities have we missed because we would not take that final step of faith? 

If we are going to fully embrace our purpose, we must reject the bad report and steadfastly hold onto His promises. 

Scripture References: Numbers 13:30-33​
-   But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. “Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!” 31 But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!” 32 So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge. 33 We even saw giants[b] there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!”  

Scripture References: Numbers 14:7-9
-  They said to all the people of Israel, “The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land! 8 And if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey. 9 Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!”  

Prayer Prompt: Ask God to help you have eyes of faith to believe God’s promises. Ask for the courage to step out in faith into your Promise Land. ​