“Go,” the Lord said to me, “and lead the people on their way, so that they may enter and possess the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.” —Deuteronomy 10:11
When the Lord makes plans, He hides many of the details.
Over and over, God gave Israel a revelation: her people will “possess the land.” He gave them a vision of the Promised Land, to which they clung for centuries. But how often did they ask, how will it come to pass?Even now, when they possess the land, they are embroiled in a continuous battle to keep it.
Even the best and brightest prophets were surprised by the events that fulfilled the prophecy.
I’m usually wrong if I think certain things should happen in a particular way. I’m in good company. John the Baptist questioned Jesus even after baptizing Him and seeing Him in the flesh. “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” he asked (Matthew 11:3). Some things just didn’t fit what he had pictured while out there in the desert. Yet, by Jesus’ own words, there was none greater than John!
We need to give up many of our preconceived ideas. God fulfills His Word and His promises in ways I’m incapable of considering. Consider how Jesus came the first time. Most of His own people weren’t prepared for the way God “became flesh” in Jesus Christ.
All we can do is stand back, smile, and say, “Lord, you are truly amazing! I would never have thought of that. You have done what You said beautifully and sensitively, beyond anything I could have dreamed or imagined!”
