The Journey

UV 2035/10000 The Journey
And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses' father in law, We are journeying unto the place of which the LORD said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good: for the LORD hath spoken good concerning Israel.
Numbers 10 v 29

The Lord promises us to take us to His promised land or realm. His goodness will do it to us. Our lives are but a journey to the place which the Lord has promised us. The Lord will set us free from our captivity just as He freed and brought Israel out of the bondage of Egypt. Michael Phelps, champion US swimmer has confessed how he contemplated suicide just two years ago due to depression following addiction and the scandal that followed. But Jesus saved him from depression and led him out of captivity. Someone gave him the book, “The Purpose Driven Life” and it led him to find his saviour in Jesus and to discover that the purpose in life is more than just winning a record number of more than twenty Olympic gold medals. Likewise , the Lord will send His rain to each of us in due time.

On Israel’s journey, they encountered many new experiences. They crossed deserts, came upon oases, fought enemies that lay in their path, defeated many and ultimately entered Canaan, the good lands that the Lord had promised. Likewise, there will be desert experiences in our lives, times when our spirits cry out to the Lord in the wilderness. He will enable us to find the oasis for our rest, recuperation, renewal and refreshment as we trudge through the deserts. At times, He will cross rivers to flow in the deserts. The progress may seem painfully slow in the desert sands but we just need to keep moving with our sight focussed on the promises of the Lord. His presence accompanying us will give us the strength to persist, the power to overcome. His presence will comfort and give us rest. His presence will overshadow us and bring forth all that we need for our journey. Every moment and step in the journey counts and brings us closer to our destination. Of course, if we are off track or wandering away from the direction in which we should be going, we are slowing down the process of reaching our goal. His presence or our deep, intimate and personal relationship with the Lord is more important than reaching our destination. It makes light of our present troubles and difficulties and gives us the patience to endure it with hope, joy and love.

We will encounter dangers and threats on our journey like the Israelites encountered serpents and scorpions en route. But as we fix our eyes on the cross of Jesus, they will not harm us in anyway. The empty cross on which Jesus was lifted up is not just a symbol but the very instrument for our upliftment, healing and deliverance in our journey’s most perilous moments. The Word is the compass that the Lord has given us to undertake life's journey. Like a runner holds the baton in his hand, we need to hold onto the Word and the promise of the Lord. It will keep us from running after illusions and mirages in the desert times of our lives. It will keep us from getting discouraged or allowing our enthusiasm from flagging off. It will provide us manna or energy for each day's efforts. The Spirit of God would never leave us but accompany us at each step and moment of our journey. Each day is a milestone in our journey of life. Every day we should try to go an extra mile instead of slowing down our pace.

Prateep V Philip