“Look, the Lord your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it.”—Deuteronomy 1:21
Two million people stood at the edge of the river. The Promised Land waited.
All they had to do was cross.
For forty years, they had wandered in the wilderness, cared for by God and the leaders they had grown to trust. Moses, Aaron, and their parents – many of whom had died or were nearing the end of their lives.
They were terrified.
Moses, who would not be crossing with them, gave them one of the all-time great motivational speeches: You can do this! Your parents didn’t enter; they lost their chance, wandering in the circle of unbelief. Don’t let that happen to you!
Their journey from Horeb to Kadesh Barnes was an eleven-day hike (Deuteronomy 1:2).
It took them forty years.
Eleven days stretched into forty years because they failed to trust God! A high cost to pay for stubborn disobedience. Even so, God took care of them and protected them.
Are you on the edge of a new phase of life or venture? Are you about to enter something you have longed for and prayed for —but your fear and uncertainty are holding you back? Are you being pushed by unseen forces into a place you’ve never been, and you fear the unknown?
That generation standing at the river’s edge had reasons to be afraid. But Moses encouraged them – you can do this.
“Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as He did for you in Egypt…and in the wilderness…The Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place”(Deuteronomy 1:29-31).
The detour of unbelief always leads us in circles – back to the same lessons, doubts, and fears again and again.
What if you can’t muster the faith? Ask, like the father who cried to Jesus, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). And remember that He will carry you “all the way.”
You can do this!
