I had a dream this week that I was a passenger in a car that was racing wildly over a a bridge. Underneath us the water churned and the road was upheaving as we drove over it. It was like we were in the middle of an earthquake, and we were trying to get over the bridge as it buckled and rose up in some places and fell in others. I felt like we weren’t going to make it across, but we had to, and we did…
Do you know about the incident in the Old Testament when Moses sent the 12 spies into Canaan to learn about the land and the people in it? After 40 days of exploration, the spies returned to the Israelites at Kadesh to report:
“They gave Moses this account: ‘We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.’
Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, ‘We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.’
But the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.’ And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, ‘The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.'” Numbers 13:27-33
I am studying the life of Moses in Bible Study Fellowship. After we have studied a passage, the lead teacher, Karen, speaks on it. Karen made a statement about the incidence with the spies that has impacted me deeply. She said, “God brings us to the threshold of his goodness.” The Israelites were right at the doorstep of the Promised Land, but they were scared, discouraged, and angry. Maybe they had it in their minds that they wanted to be carried over the threshold, like a groom carries his bride. But they would have to fight their way over, empowered by the very hand of God.
The Lord had brought them to the threshold of His goodness, and they decided not to step over into it.
The Isrealites ended up wandering in the desert for 40 more years because of their lack of faith. But the story doesn’t end there. DID YOU KNOW THAT GOD GIVES US SECOND CHANCES?? Can I get an amen?? Get this… After all that wandering, the Lord brought them back to Kadesh. He brought them back to the very place they had failed so miserably to begin again the conquest of the Promised Land. And the second time around, they did step over the threshold.
I’ve been pretty open on this blog about my health journey. I have made great progress, but recently as I have encountered stress, I have become aware that I am still in desert places where I thought I had already crossed into the Promised Land. How discouraging is that, right? But amazingly, I am actually excited!! God has brought me back to the place where I have previously failed. Yes, I have seen progress, but not the full freedom He has in store for me. I feel like He is saying, “You’re right there, Kristin. Push through. I’m with you and I have more freedom and joy in store for you.” He’s brought me back to the threshold of His goodness.
Threshold. I love this word and all it represents.
THRESHOLD:
~A point of entry or beginning
~The magnitude or intensity that must be exceeded for a certain reaction, phenomenon, result, or condition to occur or be manifested.
In my dream, we were crossing the threshold, entering a new place. But the magnitude and intensity of the crossing is what sticks with me. I remember the driver accelerating to get over the upheaving road before the opportunity was lost. There was no time for delay or uncertainty.
Where are you at today? Do you feel like you are on the edge of the Promised Land, ready to cross the threshold? Let’s pray together… Lord, help us to hear You! Help us hear… What? When? How? And then help us be confident and courageous because, the Driver of that car taking it’s wild ride over the bridge? It’s You. And with You, Lord, all things are possible.
