Been Waiting Long?
To be honest, I never gave Caleb much thought after he and Joshua returned with their report of the Promise Land. See, God had said to Israel, “Look, I am giving all this land to you! Go in and occupy it, for it is the land the Lord swore to give you.” (Deut 1:8) Twelve scouts were sent to check out this new land, but Caleb and Joshua were the only two who believed God would deliver it. Caleb never doubted God would give Canaan over to Israel. His attitude was, “Forget about the giants…we got this!” Sadly though, he had to endure the wilderness with those who did doubt.
Caleb was forty when he was promised his portion of the land. Some forty-five years later, that’s…4…T…5 years later…the promise was still unfulfilled. This guy never lost his faith in the power of God nor did he lose his zeal to see God’s promise fulfilled. Whether Caleb was scouting out the Promised Land or waiting it out in the wilderness, he remained steadfast. “For my part, I wholeheartedly followed the Lord my God.” (Joshua 14:8)
Full of resolve, Caleb went before Joshua, “Today, I am eighty-five years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then.” (Joshua14:10-11) This man was unshakeable. I can imagine him saying, “Joshua, remember when you and I saw giants over there? Give me that hill country that the Lord promised me; if the Lord is with me, I will drive them out just as the Lord said.” He believed in his heart and was confessing with his mouth, just as he did four decades earlier, “Forget the giants…we got this! The Word of God will prevail!”
Have you been waiting long to see the promises of God fulfilled? God would have you know you are not forgotten. Do not lose faith and do not lose your zeal to see the promises fulfilled. Simply stay rooted in the Word of God daily. Faith will increase by way of the Word. As you remain faithful in following the Lord, you will see that the Word of God always prevails.
Caleb did see his promise fulfilled. Not only did he drive out the existing giants in his old age, but he also drove out the memory of them by renaming the land. Complete victory. Complete fulfillment. Faithful God.
Get Them Right-side Up
On August 6, 2009 a father sat quietly by a hotel pool in Orlando, FL watching his children play. After several minutes he noticed a 3-4 year old girl had climbed out of the pool and began playing along its edge. She smiled and laughed as she made her way toward the deep end. Unfortunately, her parents were distracted over in the shallower water.
Becoming increasingly nervous, the man panned to his right, then to his left. He saw people talking quietly among themselves as they sat in the warm sun, while others just enjoyed themselves in the water. He looked back to the little girl in time to see her slip off the edge and fall head first back into the water. As she was falling, everything seemed to go into slow motion. So much so, that the man was able to see the terrified look on her face before she hit the water. There was even time to ask the question, “Is this really happening?!”
When the man jumped in to help, he could see the girl’s arms thrashing under the water just as wildly as her legs were kicking above it. You see, she had been wearing a small tube around her waist to keep her floating upright as she played. Instead, the tube was now holding her upside-down under the water! She was doing all she could to save herself, but simply did not have the knowledge or power to do so. Once the man was able to get her upright she gasped and began to cry. Thankfully, she had breathed deep enough before going in that she kept from taking in any water.
After passing the girl safely to her parents, the man swam down to where his own kids were still playing. With them having no idea what had just happened, he just grabbed each them and held them tightly. Truthfully, he was at a loss as to what to do with himself. It was all so surreal. “Did that really just happen?!” he thought. He even said a prayer, “Lord thank you for saving that little girl! Please touch her so she is not traumatized by what she just went through!”
That is when the Lord began to speak to his heart, “There are so many people who are in trouble just as that little girl had been. They too felt safe as they played on the edge of disaster. Now, they are caught upside-down without the knowledge or power to save themselves. Do not look to the right or the left. YOU get them right-side up! Remember how all seemed lost for you just a short while ago? This is why you are here now. You needed to see this. Get them right-side up!”
“Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.
He sent out his word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death.
Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. – Psalm 107:19-21 (NLT)
