On Being Prepared in a Foreign Country and Beyond!
"Why can't I understand?" sparks insecurity about my language skills. "Why is there no AC?" stirs something in me that says suffering discomfort is bad and must be solved. "Why didn't I pack an umbrella?" translates I should have been more prepared. "Why did they just yell at me?" strikes some deep chord within that deeply wants to always please people.
This human condition of mine struggles against the Spirit condition of mine. Every time I choose the human condition, there is stress.
Walk with me through the Old Testament book of Joshua. Chapter One finds Moses' predecessor, Joshua, leader and head honcho of the nation of Isreal, leading the charge to take promised land that it took this band of chosen rebels 4o years to occupy. The first thing God tells Joshua:
Prepare.Seems a little ... simple. Haven't they just spent 40 years preparing? And yet, the Father's instruction to His beloved and chosen was:
Prepare.This simple word displays the Father's heart toward us in a most profound way. His heart is always for us. He wanted Isreal to prepare to go to a promise. Seems a little ... simple. But then again, the Father's heart fashioned the human heart. He knows all too well our tendency to freak out. Even though they were entering the promised land, the promise needed to be prepared for.
Why?
Why prepare to walk into a promise?
Before I give you my lifechanging opinion, let me ask you a question. Ever entered the first grade, or got your drivers license, or walked down an aisle to say I do? Wasn't there a great amount of expectation? If you are like me, you didn't prepare. You just walked into what you thought would be a fantastic, new experience. But what happened when the kids in your class made fun of your lunch box? What happened when you got your first speeding ticket? What happened when the one you said "I do" to woke up on the wrong side of the bed? Disappointment? Discouragement?
When we walk into a Promise, it may not always feel like or look like a Promise.Isreal had to enter and inhabit a land that was promised to them, was already given to them, but was also going to be given to them. However, there were going to be obstacles. And, my fine feathered friends, wherever there are obstacles, there are doubts.
And God, being such a good Father, knowing our hearts so well, wanted them to PREPARE for the doubt that would rush in and try to steal the security of the promise. Therefore, the pep talk and words given to help them prepare: I will be with you. I will not leave you.
Every place they stepped with crusty sandals would be theirs. God was giving them a tool to prepare their hearts for what was to come. Their biggest enemy was not the inhabitants of the land but their own fears within.
Be strong.
Be courageous.
Be very courageous.
Their strength and courage was their weapon. It was a command for them to follow. God knew what would happen if Isreal chose not to be strong and/or courageous. The opposite of strong and courageous was not designed for them. Yes, they might feel those emotions but those emotions were not the place they were to inhabit. God was teaching, guiding, mentoring His kids about how to live according to His standards, not their own.
Rise above!
Live above the circumstances you see with human eyes and live by faith!
When they lived by God's words they would prosper and succeed. It wasn't instruction about how to avoid enemy territory. It was instruction about how to walk through it unharmed! God has always given His kids the same message: Trust me not what you see!
Need a few examples:
- Daniel in a lion's den
- Three Hebrew children in a fiery furnace
- Jesus
Living by what God says, tapping into what He has given us through the Holy Spirit, transforms us, influences others and glorifies God! And, not to state the obvious, but that's always the goal: to glorify God!
Today, I'm preparing to encounter some stress with parking, language, heat, rain, and cultural differences. However, knowing and settling in my heart, right now, that I am designed to walk through them and not be defined by them is my weapon! Watch out world. I'm prepared!!
Being prepared in a foreign country and beyond,
Christina
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