The Bible has a resounding theme throughout its pages. God has a promise land for us and we need to trust Him to reach it. Sad to say, very few of us want to trust him that much. From the beginning pages of Genesis to the last word of Revelation, we see countless examples of individuals who either took God at his word or decided the cost was too high. I have been thinking a lot about the ones of us who "settle" and thereby forfeit many of the promises that God has for us.
A story that comes to mind is in Numbers, chapter 13. Moses charged 12 men, one from each of the tribes of Israel, to scope out the land PROMISED to them. There was never a question about the chosen ones taking ownership. It was just a matter of waiting on God to reveal the hows and whens and wheres. When they returned, you remember the response from 10 of the men. "We can't attack those people! They are stronger than we are!" Only Joshua and Caleb trusted God to follow through with his promise to give them the land. You know the rest of the sad story...they wander 40 years until all the doubters and naysayers died off. They chose to forfeit their promise land. They decided that God could not be trusted and they were looking for an easier way.
Back up a few books and take a peek at Abraham. In Genesis, chapter 16, Abraham and Sarai decided to settle for an heir through Sarai's maidservant, Hagar. However, when Ishmael was born, God assured Abraham that this was not the way he intended. Later he reaffirmed the promise to give Abraham and Sarai their own son. "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. Abraham took him at his word this time and Isaac was born. God never intended on settling. Too much was at stake. From this man came the descendants "as numerous as the stars and as countless as the sand."
We read in God's word that "he knew us in our mother's womb" and that "he knows the plans he has for us, plans to prosper us and not harm us." Sounds like we all have a promised land. That is not the question. The question will always be whether we want to settle for less or wait on God to deliver the real thing.
The problem with me is always that I want to believe in "the seen, rather than the unseen." The impossible, miraculous, unseen things are meant for someone else. I purposely decide to settle on something a little more in line with what I can figure out on my own. Even in my prayers, I tend to pray small. I pray for things that seem "reasonable." The times I have stepped out on a limb and prayed for all out ridiculous...I was blown away with how God showed himself to be powerful, mighty, faithful to his promises.
There is this significant thing about promises. When God promises something, he delivers. He never intends on us to settle. I love the 11th chapter in Hebrews! In verse 13 it states that "all these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised." Wait a minute...did I just say that they did not receive a promised thing? No way. The verse goes on to say that they saw them from a distance. There will be a total fulfilling of promises that will only happen when I am with the Lord. This is eternal thinking, not temporary thinking.
What areas of your life are you simply "settling?" If living your life is not requiring any faith at all, then you are DEFINITELY SETTLING! A question to ask yourself(I will ask myself, as well)...are you uncomfortable? Is your life requiring loads of prayer to get through the day? Don't settle. Stay the course. Wait on the Lord. He will blow your socks off..in this life and the life to come.
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