Walking With Christ

Genesis 12:1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.(ESV)

God walked Abram and his family through the land that would be theirs one day. This land was promised to Abram. More specifically, this land was promised to the offspring of Abram.

Exodus 3:7-8 (7)Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, (8)and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.(ESV)

God led the Israelites by the hand to return them to the land that was promised to Abram so long before. The children of Israel weren’t really ready for it, so they had to spend some time making the changes needed. When they did finally make it to the promised land, what did they find? It was already occupied. It wasn’t just one tribe or city. No, there were a lot of tribes and cities. The land had been built up in a lot of places. The initial spies that were sent out mostly returned negative reports, saying that the land was beautiful but unavailable.

Here’s the thing. They were promised a land flowing with milk and honey. What they had envisioned was the garden of Eden. They were disappointed to find out that the garden had grown a lot of weeds while they were gone. They almost let that disappointment and fear keep them from receiving what they had been promised.

Keep in mind that there will be times when God taps us on the shoulder and says it’s time to go to a new place, but more often than not the test will be whether or not we are willing to pull the weeds out of the garden we have been planted in.

When God makes a promise, it doesn’t mean the path will be easy or the land will be ready for immediate harvest. Sometimes, we are called to work, to cultivate, and to prepare the promised land. The land flowing with milk and honey is not without its challenges. It requires faith, patience, and hard work to transform it into the vision God has for us.