In
attempting to inherit their Promised Land, Israel often failed to trust God in
defeating their enemies. At times, they went out on their own without
consulting with Him first, or they had sin in the camp, and they were soundly
defeated (Deuteronomy 12:9-19, Exodus 16:3, 17:1-7; Numbers 20:3-13; Hebrews
3:16-19, 4:11; Joshua 3:14-17).
This
happens to us in our life too (Hebrews 3:18-19), unless we totally enter into
God's rest by faith (Hebrews 4:1-2). We start our salvation process in our
spirit through redemption by the blood of Jesus Christ, which He shed on
Calvary's cross; then we enter His rest.
The
key to resting in God is to realize our complete incompetence and inability to
rescue our self, or to control our own life (Ephesians 2:8-10). We stop our
striving, and completely surrender to God, as we rely totally on Him moment by
moment throughout our day (Hebrews 4:10-13).
Before
we get out of bed, we consult the Lord for His wisdom and direction for the
first activity He planned for our day (Proverbs 3:5-6). He may want us to brush
our teeth first, or start the coffee pot, or check our messages, or put in a
load of laundry, or maybe even to get dressed and go right to work early.
Like
Joshua, through faithfulness and obedience to God's guidance each moment of
every day, we will enter our rest, both now and in eternity (Joshua
3:14-17). We depend solely on God for
every step we take, every statement we make, and every single need we have
(Hebrews 10:11).
We
are simply pilgrims and sojourners in this world; yet, already members of God's
family (Ephesians 2:19). Our real home is in Heaven. God intimately knows all
about us and already has blessings planned for us throughout our life (Psalm
139:1-24; Jeremiah 29:11).
Prayer:
Father
God, there is no government or nation that is not already under Your power and
direction (Psalm 33:10-11, 146:1-10). You put a hook in the rulers' jaw
(Ezekiel 38:4), and lead them to do Your bidding in order to fulfill Your will
and promises to those who put their trust solely in You.
We
want to live in Your will and to follow the direction that gives us the most
peace, even if it makes no human sense at all (Philippians 4:7). As we walk in
Your Spirit and live in the center of Your will, we will encounter multiple
blessings all throughout our day; we just need to keep our focus on You in
order to see them.
Thought
for the Day:
Sometimes
our flesh will argue with what we believe is God's direction; this causes
confusion and we do not know what to do; however, the secret here is to discern
God's peace in our heart, and even if we do not understand God's direction, we
simply obey it.
- Philippians 4:7
