Contending for God's Promises

Yesterday morning I was praying and thinking through some things related to my work, and I felt Like the Lord helped me gain some insight related to contending for His promises.

Without getting into the details, I could say that 3 years ago the Lord moved me into a new job, and much of that transition occurred immediately after He released some specific promises into my life, concerning increase, upgrade and His blessing.  Since that time, I have been battling to see progress, even having the new company go into receivership.  Last year had all the signs of being one of my best years ever financially, and instead I spent 3 months laid off, and making considerably less than I did the year before, and less than half of what I hoped to make.  We are almost 6 months into this year, and while things are looking up, there is much hard work and effort ahead of me.

I was reflecting over thes last few years during prayer,  not really complaining or griping, but rather looking over the things I have seen, accomplished and been through and just trying to identify the Lord's hand in all of it, making sure I was where I was supposed to be. As I was thinking and reflecting, I  felt the Lord say that my present battles could be likened to what Israel experienced when they entered the Promised Land, and I knew immediately what He meant.

When He released His promise to Israel to give them the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey, Israel was all for God's promise!  It is interesting that when He promises the Land, He indicates that it is presently occupied.  Here are the verses where God first speaks this promise to the nation of Israel - from Exodus 3:16-17 NIV:

[16] “Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, 'The Lord, the God of your fathers---the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob---appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. [17] And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites---a land flowing with milk and honey.'

Now, based on this promise, one could think that God recognized that the land was occupied by others, but that He would drive out those peoples, and just give the land to Israel!  There was no mention of struggles, or battles or fighting.  No mention of a long time in the desert, nor any mention of the hardships they would endure.  In fact, I think that is one reason why Israel didn't have the courage to enter the promised land the first time they saw it.  Here are the verses describing when those sent to explore the land came back from their 40 days of exploration - from Numbers 13:27-28 NIV:

[27] "They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. [28] But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there."

Rather than focus on the truth of God's promise and remember that God had already provided for them the miraculous defeat of the Egyptian army, the people  instead cowered in fear at the people who occupied the land.  Caleb and Joshua were both convinced that with the Lord's help they could win the land, but the rest of the people were afraid. Because of their response they spent the next decades in the desert, and only two of the adults of that generation actually entered the land and possessed it, Caleb and Joshua.

If we turn to the book of Joshua, the whole taking of the promised land is described, and it took a willingness to battle, to fight and to rely on the Lord!  God did drive the people out of the land, but He used Israel to do it!  He provided the strategic plans and even miraculous signs, but most of the actual work of cleaning the land  ended up being the work of the people.  They had to march into battle and fight. They had to endure!  They had to contend for the fulfillment of the promise.  Finally after eleven chapters of battles and victories, they came to a time and place where they were at peace in the land, and they were occupying it and enjoying its fruit - Joshua 11:23 NIV:  "So Joshua took the entire land, just as the Lord had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions. Then the land had rest from war."

The Lord's point in all of this to me was that Just because He provided a promise, doesn't mean He will deliver that promise on a silver platter, or immediately.  Rather, His Promise is supposed to release a vision for my future, that allows me to press in, and contend to receive.  The Israelites had to contend for their inheritance, the land of God's promise.  In the same way, we will likely need to contend for the promises of God in our life!   Sometimes God's promise is immediately dropped in our lap, but other times it does require our participation and effort. In regards to my job and God's promises, I need to press in and pursue Him, and continue to believe that His promise is still true.

Thank you Lord for encouraging me in this season of battling and contending!  Help me to stand on Your promises, and not give up hope, but rather trust in Your faithfulness!  MY encouragement to all is that God is capable and is working on your behalf to fulfill everyone of His promises, don't give up hope!