Possess the Land

“Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the LORD your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess…” Deuteronomy 6:1

After having lived long on this earth, I can look back and see many “lands” that the Lord has given me to possess. Many of the new lands I once looked forward to: college, marriage, career choices, parenting. Some I did not know enough about to look forward to, such as ministry in the church, and being a grandparent.

Some lands I came to possess after long battles: acceptance of infertility and the joys and sorrows of adoptions; changes in career plans; wayward adult kids, including some forms of mental illness; some rough terrain in marriage; moving far away from family and friends into unfamiliar territory. These battle-weary newly-possessed lands were always accompanied by the presence of the Lord and His strong hand in my life.

Now there is a new land ahead of me to possess—the land of “old age.” This land comes with myriad physical challenges; less energy; retirement from that long ago-anticipated career; the loss of some abilities and activities I previously enjoyed; the death of family members; passing the torch on some traditions, such as cooking holiday meals. It also comes with some questions, often without answers. I know better than to ask what the future holds—God doesn’t usually give that kind of information (there are exceptions.)

If you are facing a “new land,” let me share just a few of the instructions the Lord gives in His Word. In Deuteronomy 7:22, Israel is told that they would possess the land “little by little.” As their ability grew to occupy and maintain it, they would possess more of it. They would not be overwhelmed by the transition, and neither will you or I. It will be new to us, but not impossible, because of the Lord’s work in us.

When we feel too weak, too old, too impaired, too challenged, too late, He promises to do what we cannot. When Israel was told to destroy all the people whom God delivered over to them, and to spare not a living soul, He also took responsibility to seek out any who may have been hiding, and He would destroy them Himself (Deuteronomy 7:20). “You shall not be terrified of them; for the LORD your God, the great and awesome God, is among you” (Deuteronomy 7:21). This is certainly a word for me right now. God will take care of what stands in the way of His promises, while I am to take the land He has ordained for me, moving forward headlong.

This moving forward can be the hard part, filled with fearful unbelief as we often are. But consider this: “And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the LORD of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap” (Joshua 3:13). Those waters would not be parted until the first steps were taken.

Is it time for you to take a step today into a new land? Believe what God has said in His Word, for He intends to fulfill it to the uttermost.

Father, help our unbelief. We want to take the land You have ordained for us. Help us to take the step that shows we believe You. Amen.