“This land will be yours, for the Lord your God will drive out all the people living there now.
You will take possession of their land, just as the Lord your God promised you.”
Joshua 23:5
I remember my nagging question on road trips, “Daddy, are we there yet?” Like the Israelite’s Father, mine was so patient with me. They were not there yet either, because there was still much land to be conquered. But as my Daddy always assured me, “We will get there,” so Joshua assured his people, GOD will drive out the people in the land, and YOU will possess it!
As a child, I had no idea how to get THERE, but I trusted my Daddy! The Israelites also trusted their Father, and the path HE showed them was one of relationship. First, follow, cling to, and love the Lord your God. Next, do NOT deviate from God’s Word, do NOT associate with the people who worship idols, and do NOT swear by them, serve them, or worship them. (v. 6-8) If the Israelites followed God’s rules of relationship, they would get there, and the entire Promised Land would be theirs!
I may sometimes feel discouraged when I fail to live in the freedom God intended for me. I may not be there yet, but I can trust the One who leads me. If I stay close to Him, like the Israelites, I WILL get there…and TOTAL freedom in God’s promises WILL be mine!
