Waiting On God

Joshua blessed Caleb … because he followed the LORD, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly. Joshua 14:13-14

Forty-five years earlier Caleb and Joshua had encouraged Israel to enter the land of promise to receive their inheritance. But God’s people were afraid, so they refused. As a result, God made the people wander in the desert for forty years. Only their children would enter the land. (Numbers 13-14)

It takes trust and courage to serve God. Caleb’s generation feared the people of the land more than they trusted God. In effect, they said, “It would be better to die in the desert or to have stayed in Egypt than to follow God and have to face those giants. It’s not worth the milk and honey.”

Following Jesus, being His disciple is the greatest commitment we can make. It includes putting Him first, being obedient to His Word, and spending time with Him in prayer. It means exercising patience in waiting for His blessings, whether we wait a day, a year, or forty-five years, as Caleb did.

We are truly blessed through our relationship with Christ as we trust Him. Through Jesus we experience God’s rich blessings of life and joy—and the rest will come in God’s good time, when Jesus returns.

When the waiting gets hard, Lord, and I am tempted to complain, open my eyes to see the abundant blessings I have in You. Amen.

While I Wait

Bobbie Hoffman