Difficult times are inevitable. No matter what season you’re currently in, you have either just conquered a mountain or there is one right in front of you. These hard times are in our life to grow us. If you’re like me, you may tend to start controlling the situation to make it go your way, or you may even come up with ideas to escape the situation altogether by “fixing” it on your own. It’s easy for me to get overwhelmed and forget all that God has gotten me through. I will think things like, “what if this is the ONE time that God doesn’t come through?”
I am reading through Number’s right now and got to chapter 13 and 14 which is the story of the 12 men Moses sent into the promise land to check it out. Ten of the twelve men came back telling everyone how great the land was and how powerful the people were. They were convinced that they would not be able to conquer these people.
The other two men, Caleb and Joshua had a different report, they were confident in their God to help them conquer this land. In Numbers 14:7-9 they say, “The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land! 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. Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the poeple 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.”
What makes the difference between these two groups of people? How can we have faith like Caleb and Joshua when we face difficulty?
The ten men who thought they couldn’t conquer this land were looking at their difficulty without remembering God’s faithfulness. What if they would have stoped and recounted all that God had done for them up to that point? Remembering how God rescued them from the Egypt, split the Red Sea so they could walk on dry ground to safty, feeding them in the desert, and taking care of them as they wondered?
The difference with Caleb and Joshua was they were focused on God and all He could do for them! They were declaring His power and might and how they would conquer with God on their side.
I tend to react more like the ten men and instead of remember all that God has done for me, I’ll look at my problem and get overwhelmed by it; thinking this situation will be the one thing that takes me down. Recently, I’ve been feeling the weight of hard times in my life. I began to feel hopeless, wondering if change will ever happen. I wonder if I will circle this mountain for the rest of my life? I started seeing all my human efforts and knew they would not help this situation. In the middle of my prayer for change and help, I felt God ask me to recount all that He has done for me; all the times he was faithful and came through for me. I didn’t want to, I didn’t “feel” it, but I did anyway and I’m not even lieing when I say, I immediately felt faith rise up inside of me. I encouraged my own heart by hearing the testimonies of what God has done for me.
So if you are facing something difficult and you are losing hope, even if you don’t feel like it and even if it’s hard, I want you to recount all of God’s faithfulness. Remember all the times God has come through for you. Seriously, I want to you carve out some time to sit and declare God’s faithfulness outloud. Thank Him for all he has done for you!
Here’s what I am declaring today,
Thank you for saving me from my past. Thank you for sending your Son to die on the cross so that I can live a life of freedom that I don’t deserve one bit, but you’ve given to me anyway. Thank you for your love that pursues me. Thank you for seeing me in every situation of my life. Thank you for seeing me in my hurt, in my pain. Thank you for your comfort that is like no other. Thank you for growth, even when it hurts. Thank you for your mind blowing patience in my life. You’re gotten me through some terribly hard season, losing my brother, losing my sister-in-law, my miscarriage, financial difficulty. You’ve always been there and there is not one time I can say you didn’t come through for me! You are faithful beyond words and I am blessed to be able to put ALL my hope in you.
Friends, we are victorious in Christ! Let’s live like victors. Our heads held high, because we’ve already won!
P.S. (Listening to Rita Springers “Battles” album is also a great way to get a boost of encouragement! I highly recommend it!)