Little By Little

Prior to the children of Israel entering in to take the Promised Land, God tells them He will allow them to take it "little by little" (Deuteronomy 7: 22). I always thought that was a "non-God" plan. I mean really.....God could take it once and for all and be done with all that fighting. I like BIG, flashy and over-the-top, in-your-face drama, don't you? Yet notice my wording above - it looked like a "non-God" plan to me even after reading that GOD WAS THE ONE WHO SAID IT.

Too often we are like that. We want a one-prayer dramatic answer. We know God is up to it. He can do all things. And really friends, we are an impatient people - how long will our prayers hold out if we get a 'little by little' answer? Often we just give up. We settle for a 'little bit' of an answer and move on. Israel did the same thing. They got tired of the fight and settled for partial occupation of a land that God had already ordained to be TOTALLY theirs - "wherever your foot treads." Can you blame them for getting tired? Can you blame them for deciding that 'this is enough?' Can you understand their desire to just want to be comfortable and enjoy what they had?

Oh, I think I can. More than once I have settled. More than once I've been SO disappointed that God didn't give me or someone I loved total and complete victory immediately. My disappointment was because I KNEW He could. It didn't have anything to do with my faith but it had everything to do with my trust. You see knowing He CAN is very important to Him. Our faith is the greatest gift we can give Him. But believing He can and trusting His answer/timing are two different things.

That is where the proverbial rubber meets the road. It marks the difference between the childlike faith and the maturity of a disciple. Children believe and trust but they throw fits. The instances that don't work out the way they thought they would tend to damage their psyches. They develop fear and insecurity issues.
Too often believers do that too. They believe but when the God they believe in doesn't do what they want/think/need and TOTALLY believe is necessary, they develop all kinds of trust issues - fear, depression, anger, insecurity, etc.

It takes maturity to step back from your prayers/needs/hopes and know that God knows best. To know that He's not here to make you or me comfortable and happy. To really believe that He can do all things, He loves us and His ways are perfect and right - however He chooses to answer.

I have a friend who likes to say when times are tough, "you need to put on your big girl pants." This is one of those kind of lessons. Big girl/boy. We live in tough times and God's word is clear that the mark of a believer is his/her perseverance. Now is not the time to falter because we don't get prayers answered 'our' way. Now is the time to grow up and trust His answers are the best for us. Little by little we trust. Little by little we grow. Little by little we overcome. And little by little His coming is near.

If I could believe His answers (all of them) are best as much as a I believe He can do all things, I would be much happier/stronger/more peaceful - you name it. So would you. So the next time you feel like throwing a fit or throwing in the towel, remember 'little by little' He is bringing you to the place of Promise. A place where all your dreams and hopes and desires will be answered in a way that is much bigger than you could have imagined. I'm praying for you!