“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 of the prophets were surprised by the actual events that ultimately fulfilled the prophecy.
If I think certain things should happen in a particular way, I’m usually wrong. 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 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 not capable of considering. Consider how Jesus came the first time. Most of His people weren’t prepared for the manner in which 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 in such a beautiful and sensitive way, beyond anything I could have dreamed or imagined!”
