My friend, for some crazy reason, started reading Deuteronomy a couple of months ago. She shared it with our worship band and it got me curious. I called it crazy because I've never gotten past the first chapter. I have no good excuse but just to say that honestly the Old Testament always scared me, excluding the Psalms and some of Proverbs of course : )!
I never really liked history in school and I thought the old Testament was just a bunch of facts and endless lists of names. I knew all of the "cool" stories of course. Moses and the burning bush, parting of the Red Sea, Daniel in the lions den, David and Goliath, all of those stories we learned as kids, but I was never really taught the power of the words in the Old Testament. Yes its history but now I've found that the statement that "history does not repeat itself" is quite untrue, thanks to my friend who has now gotten me excited about Deuteronomy! Yes, I love it! Yes, I cringe at some verses because of the truth, but mercy sakes shouldn't we shudder with fear and love of our God's power? Isn't that what He asks of us?
OK, so what has me all excited about reading this ancient account of history. Its exciting because I believe I'm living it. These first chapters are all about how Moses lead them out of Egypt and now they are just wondering around looking for the Promised Land. Don't we all have a Promise Land on earth we are waiting for? Dreams, desires that God has placed in our hearts and minds? Some have one and some have a bunch! That would be me!!!!! I know I've reached some of my Promised Lands, like marriage, the birth of a child the doctors told us would never be! Now I'm looking into other plots of Promised Land. You may say that's selfish but goodness isn't God bigger than anything we can imagine? Why wouldn't there be more than one Promised Land for us? He wants best for us in everything. Now sometimes He allows "bad" things to happen because we have consequences to our sin and other times its just because we live in a place that's not the final and most glorious Promised Land, and sometimes its because someone around us sins.
I think what I am learning from this ancient book is that yes, there is a Promised Land, or lands, but its not always that easy to get into it. Sometimes we walk up to a sea and its parted right then and there before our eyes. Love that Grace! Then other times we have to wonder around a bit and go through some experiences before we get into The Land. God asked Moses to make sure that the people knew that this was going to be a challenge and that they needed to follow God's every word and plan in order to reach it. They needed to trust in His provision of food and shelter. They needed to trust in the map to get there. They needed to wait patiently and worship Him through all of this in the mean time. They were going to have hardship, brought by His desire to have them see their need for ONLY Him as their God, and also brought by the ignoring His direction.
I think about that with our Clayton. Yes he was born with autism but God created him in His image. (I didn't make that promise by the way, God told it to me in Genesis : ) ). So Clayton is only supposed to be the best God has created him to be. That's the Promised Land for Clayton. Healing, recovery, and restoration from the side effects of autism. But boy is the journey to the Promised Land difficult at times. I've become an organic, gluten free, milk free, process free, crazy person and it is hard! And sometimes I have to "torture" him in order to teach him to cope with things.
But even with all of the difficulties, challenges, and tears, it doesn't change the Promised Land. Its still the same. I might change the time it takes to get there because i don't follow the map, and sins of the world might change it too, but its still there and its still exactly what its named, a promise of perfect beauty, rest, protection, love, endless healing, greater grace than I have known, and its permanent.
Oh the joy of stepping out of the comfort zone of my favorite passages! Now I have new ones. New promises of The Land ahead for myself, my church, and my family and friends. Thank You Lord for history that does repeat itself, just help me not to add to the whole sin part! ha ha. you know I can't be serious for too long!
So what is your Promised Land right now? Go to the may in Deuteronomy and find out how to get there! And let's plan on having coffee at the foot of our King's table when we get the ultimate Promised Land!
