LIfe in the Promised Land

Way back whenever, I was listening to an Old Testament lecture in Bible College. The lecturer, a wonderful woman called Kath Bowe talked about the experiences of the Israelites as they entered the Promised Land. She observed that though the land was theirs, and they were promised a land flowing with milk and honey, when they got there still had to fight for what was theirs. There were still battles to face, conflict and confrontation. And as for the land flowing with milk and honey? Well, the land had to be nutured and developed, the cattle had to be milked as it were.

She then got us to think about our Promised Land.These were the things we believed God had promised us, our personal dreams and ambitions, our call and vocation in life. For some the promise of marriage and family. Perhaps they were things we longed for; things that we'd needed a breakthrough, a mighty deliverance for, things we went through the wilderness for.
Her point was that so often we expect our "Promised Land" to be perfect straight away. We want the milk and the honey, but forget that we need to work at it, develop it, nurture it. We want to enjoy our land, but can't expect it to be battle free. And her observation was that often people gave up and got frustrated with God because when they got their dream - it didn't look like how they expected.

It seemed to take a generation to occupy the Promised Land, to establish it, settle it, make it grow. Thinking of Kath's lecture reminded me of the sheer hard work that involves, the dangers of shallow expectations. It reminded me that there's a whole land out there not just to conquer, but to occupy. Powerful and miraculous though it was, the exodus was just the beginning. The dreams for a new life kept some going through the wilderness. Yet, the occupation of the Promised Land is something else entirely.

That lecture was about 15 years ago - but its stayed with me. It was one of those moments where instinctively I logged it away in my mental filing cabinet for the future.

Now here I am in the future. Living in the things I once longed for, experiencing a life which once was a very ambitious dream. My exodus and wilderness feel a long way away at times, and they were just the beginning. I spent my formative years seeking and longing for healing.I prayed for a husband and kids. I asked God to call me, use me, send me.
Now when I look at the life God has given me, and its a very blessed life, I am thinking of how much land I am going to "occupy". I'm thinking of the Jerichos that still need to be toppled, the land that needs to be worked and developed. Going from a prayer for healing - to living a healthy and whole life. From a prayer for Mr Right and kids, to being a whole and healthy family. From a sense of call and vocation, to living in the reality of what that call means today.

Sometimes it easier to dream dreams than live them! I've sung the songs about being a generation who take the land and all that,history maker, world changer and they captured my passion and imagination. The things we could do to change the world....

Future dreams, visionary songs, are not mundane; they are filled with hope, wonder and even mystery.

And when you wake up into today - you've got life! Diaper crazy, sleep deprived, kids with projectile vomit - type life.Life demands a level of consistency and discipline that dreams are never restricted by.

Nonetheless, I am inspired and challenged by the prospect of occupying the land the Lord gave me. Embracing reality rather than trying to live the dream. Somewhere in the average, God is there. Extraordinarily ordinary. Somewhere in the hard work and the daily grind, God is there.Miraculously mundane.

There in the everyday, my neighbor's daughter was miraculously healed. There in the ordinary women were freed from years of pain and heartache as they gathered in a bunch of cabins. In the everyday, we get a letter from a child we sponsor. We see broken young men and women gently, quietly put back together again. There in the everyday, I see what God has done for me and in me, and marvel at the wonder of a non instant miracle.

In the everyday, I walk away from Jericho's rubble and taste the good of the Promised land. Life is sweet. With a hint of honey.