“Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.” Deuteronomy 34:4

He would never taste the milk and honey. Ever. But His eyes would see if from a distance.

God would give him that.

And just as he saw the Promise Land, his heart stopped… and he rested in Him.

“And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord had said.” (v.5)

I’ll be honest with you. I had a problem with this part of Scripture for a long time.

I know, I know. Moses messed up. He struck the rock instead of speaking to it.

But, man! Talk about harsh punishment (my flesh says)!

After all, he led the Israelites out of Egypt and turned a crowd of slaves into a Nation.

Not just any nation…God’s chosen people.

He delivered God’s commandments and later was used to write God’s laws.

He put up with this unbelieving, rebellious nation time and again, and yet, prayed for them, interceded on their behalf when God vowed to punish them.

And yet, a seemingly small mistake stopped him just a few miles from the borders of the Promise he held close to his heart.

I finished a study on the book of Deuteronomy thinking about the death of Moses (Deuteronomy 34). On that same day, a godly father our family knew lost his battle to cancer.

People from all over the world prayed fervently for his healing. We believed God for a miracle.

But the miracle didn’t come.

As I read about Moses’ passing, I could not help but think of the promise this friend held close to his heart to the very end.The Promise of a future where he would see his children get married and have children.

And as my heart ached for the family, and for a life seemingly cut short…

As I read about Moses’ death, and my flesh wanted to scream again: “Oh, Lord, why not let him step foot in the Promise?”

God’s word through Isaiah rang loudly in my spirit:

“Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord, or instruct the Lord as his counselor? Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding?” (Isaiah 40:13-14)

And later in his book:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

As I meditated on these well-known verses, the Holy Spirit whispered:

“Moses didn’t set foot on the Promise Land, because his mission was finished. He had run his race, finished the course. My plans for him were better. Sweeter than honey.  I brought him to the REAL Promise Land.”

There, Moses’ heart would not be broken by rebellious Israel again.

There, his aching bones would find complete healing. His tired soul would finally find joy… and rest.

There, there would be no more pain, no more sorrow.

And while the children of Israel went into battle, and later rebelled once again against God, Moses was spared.

And instead of going through more strife and pain, HE EMBRACED HIS REWARD.

Oh, friend, what a blessed assurance to wrap around our hearts when a loved one, a child of the Living God leaves this earth!

What a wonderful Truth to cling to when the troubles of life, and even death does not make sense on this side of eternity:

That we cannot comprehend God’s mercies and grace… And yet, we KNOW they are true and eternal!

That life is but a vapor, and soon we will be reunited with those who go before us, so long as our lives belong to the Lord Jesus Christ!

Better yet, we can tell our hearts this amazing truth:

That our God is still good, even when the worst happens… And our prayers were heard, even though the healing didn’t come.

our God is still good, even when the worst happens… And our prayers were heard, even though the healing didn’t come.
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Moses saw the TRUE Promise Land, way before Joshua and Caleb did.

His eyes saw Abraham, Isaac and Jacob’s Promise Land from a distance…

But His feet stepped onto the streets of gold.

As people we love seem to “lose” life’s battles way too soon, and although the sorrow and depression will be certain for a season…

Even though we will miss them until the day God calls us home… may we hold on to this truth, and tell it to our saddened hearts:

They didn’t lose. They won. God’s love and mercy took them home.

And because we believe in the same Savior… and because His stripes healed us all,

We will soon see them again.

The post When Death Makes No Sense appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

Passage:

Key Verses: “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:10-11

“Did you do your best, honey?”

 “Yes, mommy, I did” she quietly said.

“Did you study for the test, double-checked your answers?”

 “I did, mommy, I promise.”

 She was at the verge of tears.

My heart sunk. I felt helpless and dumb. The grade was pretty unacceptable and it wasn’t her first that month.

I found myself hating Pre-Algebra all over again.

No, I didn’t think about pre-algebra when I said yes to homeschooling my children. No, sire, pre-algebra was not in my “cons” list. I actually didn’t have a “pros and cons” list at all. I simply knew that God was calling us to enroll our girls in a hybrid school, where they go to school some days and homeschool on the others. I figured we would do just fine; after all, I was only going to serve as a facilitator and booboo kisser on homeschool days.

Wrong! Was I ever wrong.

I was also the one who was supposed to be able to help my babies when they didn’t know what to do. Instead, I looked at pre-algebra papers and wondered how on earth I made it through school thirty years ago.

Nice. Really nice, Patricia. What were you thinking?

Did God really say…?

That’s when I started questioning God on a decision that He guided us through, step-by-step. We knew it was His will. We sought His confirmation and received it.

But at the first obstacle, at the first not-so-comfortable situation, I decided I must have misunderstood Him.

I wish I could say that that was the first time in my 20 years as a Christian that I doubted His direction when things didn’t go as planned. I wish I could put on the super-Christian cape and claim that I always tell my heart to quiet down when things start getting out of (my) control.

But.it.just.isn’t.so.

 I’m just glad I’m in good company.

Several of the Giants of Faith of Hebrews 11 struggled with the same sort of unbelief before they reached the place where they could always see with eyes of unshaken faith.

Think Sarah laughing at the thought of a baby in her barren womb… Genesis 18:12

Think Abraham doubting His Covenant Promise and agreeing to a shortcut … Genesis 16:2

Think Moses keeping his eyes on His inadequacies instead on the promise that I AM was with Him… Exodus 4

Think Peter denying Christ after offering to die for Him… John 18:15-27

Think Thomas touching the wounds after seeing the Risen Savior… John 20:27

Truthfully, when God gives us a direction or a promise, we all usually start on the right path, acting as those who truly believe… only to halt at the sight of an obstacle that is bigger than our abilities… an unexpected outcome… or become anxious and jump ahead of God when we think that He is taking too long.

Still, God’s words to Isaiah ring true to every single promise He makes to His Covenant children:

“So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55: 11

I’m glad that we pressed on and survived pre-algebra last year.

Algebra 1 has been the promise fulfilled, as our daughter’s A’s confirm that we passed another (faith) test when I chose to remind my heart to believe and trust… and simply press on in obedience. But I know many other times will come, when I will be tempted to question God’s ways, and wonder if I missed the right turn on His path for me, simply because He has chosen to mold me in the process.

My ultimate response, I pray, will remain the same:

I’ll tell my heart to believe.

And in the meantime, while I cannot see the full scope of His promises, I’ll choose to keep on seeking Him… trusting Him… listening to His guidance… obeying His Word.

Knowing with all my heart that, in His perfect time, I will delight as His Word of Promise returns completely fulfilled… just as He said it would.

The post When Things Don’t Turn Out as Planned appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.