When God makes a promise, it’s never a straight line to get there, and in fact, it often seems to go in the exact opposite direction for a time, like with David, being chased all over the map by Saul for years, and Joseph, going from prison to prison in a foreign land.
In both of these cases, if they didn’t for a time, they certainly could have easily lost hope looking at the circumstances because there was no sign and they could have deemed God a liar.
With David, the outcome was known (he would be King) but with Joseph, he had no idea he would end up as Prime Minister of Egypt. That was a complete surprise and an impossible possibility from a logical standpoint. Yet God orchestrated what seemed to be the wrong path into the exact right path and preparation to get Joseph to where He was taking him.
Your path can seem so utterly confusing when looking at it, even though you’ve followed God to the best of your ability. You may have ended up in “foreign territory” where nothing makes sense and you’re seeing little or no signs of moving forward…yet. There is a timing, which always seems longer than it should be, but God is always true to His word. If He said it, He will definitely and without a doubt, do it, no matter what it looks like on the way there. The more impossible the situation, the more God seems to enjoy the challenge. And He also likes to use our experience along the way to help and encourage others in one way or another. You may have some naysayers looking on, but others are watching you walk through the valley, encouraged by your faith.
In bringing His people to the Promised Land, God was trying to do a work in them, to change their mindset from a limited mindset and prepare them for the abundance He had in store for them. Joshua and Caleb got that. They stayed in faith, despite all those years where nothing was happening, and received the promise. Romans 4:18-24 talks about Abraham’s faith, in spite of every circumstance, which screamed the opposite…
Against all odds, when it looked hopeless, Abraham believed the promise and expected God to fulfill it. He took God at his word, and as a result he became the father of many nations. God’s declaration over him came to pass: “Your descendants will be so many that they will be impossible to count!” In spite of being nearly one hundred years old when the promise of having a son was made, his faith was so strong that it could not be undermined by the fact that he and Sarah were incapable of conceiving a child. He never stopped believing God’s promise, for he was made strong in his faith to father a child. And because he was mighty in faith and convinced that God had all the power needed to fulfill his promises, Abraham glorified God! So now you can see why Abraham’s faith was credited to his account as righteousness before God. And this declaration was not just spoken over Abraham, but also over us. For when we believe and embrace the one who brought our Lord Jesus back to life, perfect righteousness will be credited to our account as well.
I know that you and I will both see what God has promised. It is only a matter of time. In the meantime, there are twists and turns in the road on the way there, but as long as we yield to His leading and direction, we too will, by faith and obedience, receive all that God has promised.
I pray right now that if there are any adjustments, steps of faith or moves that you need to make to come into alignment with His plan and purpose, that you will hear clearly and obey accordingly, even if it doesn’t make sense to your natural mind. Father, bring us into alignment, and glorify Your name through our lives, in Jesus’ name.
Do not doubt that God is working His plan and will be faithful to fulfill His promise, no matter what it looks like right now. Everything is subject to change, whether overnight or over time. I’m standing with you, in faith, knowing that the plans He has for you are good and not evil, to give you a hope and a future.