It’s beautiful to see God calling us to Himself and then starting a lifetime process of shaping and molding us into the person He’s called us to be.
Many times what motivates us to change or stay in the process are His specific words to us because we want to have a purpose in life and desire to make a difference in His kingdom. However, God is not too concerned with the destination as He is with the journey.
Each generation has to find God and get to know God for themselves. It is a great privilege when we have a heritage of faith especially when faith was represented well. However, each person and each generation has to come to the conclusion that Jesus is my savior and He died for my sins. God is good. He is holy. He is who he says He is, and He expects obedience as a proof of our love to Him. Dying to self will always hurt, and trusting God will be painful at times.
The Promised Land known as Canaan was something the Lord spoke about to His people over and over again to give people a vision of their future and what He intended to do in their lives.
Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. Genesis 12:5
Abraham left his father in Haran and came to the land of Canaan. He had no previous knowledge of this place. He was going because God was asking him to go.
Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” Genesis 17:8
The Lord gave Abraham a promise that all the land of Canaan was going to be given as a possession to his descendants. That’s a huge promise. That was a great territory but even greater was his challenge of not having the promised child. Abraham’s issue wasn’t reaching Canaan but seeing the fruition of God’s promises regarding having descendants. Abraham’s faith was tested over the years to believe God and to trust Him.
God’s promises come so large that you can’t even make them happen if you tried. Man’s effort would just leave one frustrated and exhausted. God’s promise has to come God’s way!
We have challenges with the promises that God makes to us. It is not about getting to the destination, but it is about trusting God on the journey. Are we obeying him? Are we taking short cuts, so we can get there faster? Are we running over others, so we can get there first? Are whining on the journey saying, “Are we there yet!?”
What is the Canaan in your life? How are you doing on your journey?