Did they think they were deprived because they lived with a day’s provision at a time? Hindsight revealed that daily provision meant they were rich and well supplied. Did they feel that they had to wear the same old clothes for years and years? Hindsight revealed that their clothes stayed new, so really they had new clothes every day.
Did they resent the long, arduous walk through “that vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land”? Yet, hindsight reveals that with all that walking, their feet never swelled. They might have been carried, as far as the condition of their feet goes.
In those years, for the most part, they repeated the same obedience day after day with no hint that it really mattered. Manna, quail, cloud, fire. Worship, offer sacrifices, pack, unpack. Set up camp, take down camp. Over and over. No change on the horizon.
No evidence of the Promised Land anywhere in sight. Obedience by obedience, they
followed the Lord. Small acts of faithfulness every day for 40 years. As Moses recounts it and refreshes their memories, he doesn’t soft-soap the hard edges. It was tough. It was vast and terrible.
He reminds them how it felt because they are about to enter the Promised Land and
leave the thirsty and waterless land behind. The abundant living in the Promised Land has been prefaced by the long walk in the dry desert. Why?
During their extended training in the desert, they learned by experience to trust the hand of God. For example, He fed them with manna day by day. If God had not sent the day’s manna, they would have starved in the wilderness. Every morning required confidence in God’s provision. See how Moses warns them to remember the desert days when they get into the Promised Land?
Moses says that all this training and desert traveling was “so that in the end it may go well with you.” Have you ever known anyone who achieved all they ever dreamed of, then lost it all through their own actions and choices?
Moses tells the people that not only is God about to release the fullness of the promise into their lives, but He has prepared their hearts to live large in the abundance of His provision.
Small Change
In some areas of your life, you have moved into the Promised Land and are living large. Look around and remember on purpose that God is the provider and sustainer. In some areas of your life, you are on a desert walk. When you feel the desert’s heat, step back mentally and look for how God’s provision is evident. Today, find one thing that you will thank God for instead of complaining about. Pray: “Do Your work, Refiner’s Fire, that in the end it may go well for me.”
Jennifer Kennedy Dean is Executive director of The Praying Life Foundation and a respected author and speaker. She is the author of numerous books, studies, and magazine articles specializing in prayer and spiritual formation. Visit her web site for more information about her ministry.
