Faithful In The Waiting
God said to Joshua, “I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.” (Joshua 1:3)
Forty years earlier, Joshua had been one of the twelve spies sent to explore the Promised Land. He had seen the land for himself and believed that God intended to give it to the Israelites. But the people became overwhelmed by the obstacles they saw ahead of them. They decided the challenges were too great and turned away from the gift God had offered.
So Joshua waited.
For the next forty years, he served faithfully under Moses and continued to lead in the wilderness. Then Moses died. And almost immediately, God spoke to Joshua:
Now is the time. Move forward. I am giving this land to the people. Go where I lead you, stay within the boundaries I have given you, and remain faithful to Me.
That is my paraphrase of God’s words to Joshua in Joshua 1:1–5.
God promised Joshua that He would be with him and that He would give him the authority he needed to lead the people. Joshua had spent years being tested, waiting, serving, and learning to lead. His faithfulness in those hidden years had prepared him for the moment when God would say, “Now.”
And now Joshua was ready to lead the people into God’s will—and into the gift God had intended for them all along.
What might Joshua’s story say to us?
Stir up the dreams God has placed in your heart.
Maybe the obstacles have seemed too big—not only to you, but to the people around you. Perhaps you decided it was easier to let go of the dream. But sometimes a dream doesn’t disappear simply because we stop pursuing it.
Can you identify any dreams you believe God has placed in your heart?
Be faithful to what God has already made clear to you.
Joshua didn’t spend those forty years sitting around waiting for his “big moment.” He served. He followed. He learned. He remained faithful to God and to the responsibilities God had already given him.
Sometimes the best preparation for what is ahead is simply being faithful right where we are.
Is there something you need to do today that would demonstrate your faithfulness?
Be ready when God says, “Now is the time.”
When that moment comes, we don’t have to manufacture our own authority or force our way forward. We can move with courage, knowing that God is with us. In His timing, He provides what we need to do what He has called us to do.
Perhaps now is the time for something God is beginning to do in and through you.
What is it?
Are you ready to stand up and move forward?
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