Focus on the Locus

UV 1146/10,000 Focus on the Locus

And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old.

Joshua 14 v 10

The Lord preserves the lives of the faithful the way He kept Caleb alive. He retained at the age of eighty five the same strength that he first had in his forties when Moses received the word from the Lord. He remained loyal to the Lord His God. Remaining loyal to the Lord implies that we do not disbelieve His words, disbelieve His ability to do that which He has promised and to believe that nothing is too difficult or impossible for Him, to know that He cares and loves us deeply. He was one of the spies sent by Moses to explore the land of Canaan. He along with Joshua alone brought back a faithful and honest report that was at variance with the opinion of some of his compatriots who had accompanied him. As he trusted the Word of the Lord, he confidently said, “ We are well able to conquer it.”

Caleb leaned on the Lord and clung to Him as the source of His strength, power and energy. He was clothed with the presence of the Lord. His Shekinah glory covered his face. His grip on the sword was firm and steadfast. Caleb’s secret was his single-minded and wholehearted focus and devotion. His mind was not a battlefield for he knew that the Lord is in control of his life and his destiny. When our minds become a battlefield on account of the thoughts the enemy brings to distract us or to attract or seduce us and we become consequently weakened. Instead, the Shalom peace of the Lord should fill our minds and hearts all the time. The focus should be on the source and purpose of our lives- the locus of our lives, the central point- the Lord God Himself. In the Lord, both the end and the means coincide as in nothing else in life.


Caleb had the same power to do battle at a ripe old age as he could in his prime. The Lord kept him alive even though he fought with Joshua’s troops against several kings and their armies before they could take possession of Canaan. The Lord preserved his family in the wilderness. The Lord protected him from the deadly bite of serpents in the desert. He provided for him nourishment and drink. He kept him from pestilence and disease over forty five years. Calem on his part remained faithful and obedient to the call of the Lord and of Moses even when the Israelites rebelled and murmured during the sojourn in the wild desert en route to the promised land. The Word testifies that Caleb followed the Lord wholeheartedly. He showed courage and fidelity in following first Moses and later on, Joshua, the successor. He could therefore claim his share of the promised land- Hebron –as his inheritance.


The next couple of weeks I will be travelling as I will be on training in India and overseas. But even as I am travelling the Lord expects me to be faithful in my prayer, meditation and in writing and sharing the Uni-verse every day. I need to demonstrate a Caleb-like persistence and perseverance. I need to depend heavily on the grace of the Lord to be able to do so. I will need to nourish myself with the divine manna or hot bread and the drink the Lord provides for our need every day. The Lord has preserved my life these past five decades and made me as strong, if not stronger than in the days of my youth. When we depend on the Lord for strength, He renews our energy and power so that our faith as well as our inner resources are redoubled.


Prateep V Philip