God's Got Your Best In Mind

Most people, no matter where they've been, can't wait to get home.  Even if their home isn't the best or their bed the softest there is something about being in the familiar and calling a place yours that causes us to seek home.

In Genesis eight and Joshua eight similar situations are happening and it causes me to be thankful.

In Genesis eight the flood is ending and after the ark comes to rest on Ararat, Noah sends begins sending some birds out to see if the land has produced any vegetation (necessary to sustain the life.  But here's the kicker.  Noah and his family have been on the ark for some 150 days.  The ark is resting on solid ground.  But they can't leave.  They have to stay on the ark, where they have food.

In Joshua eight the Israelites are once again in battle with the people who now inhabit the land God had premised to His people.  So one by one they are driving the squatters out.  But the Israelites have been wandering in the wilderness for 40 years.  They have lived in tents, eaten not much more than manna and quail for that entire time.  And they come to Jericho (Joshua six) and now Ai and conquer the cities.  But instead of inhabiting the ready made cities with homes and creature comforts they burn the cities to the ground and leave them a smoldering heap.  Uninhabitable.  Then they return to their... tents in the wilderness.

For Noah, I think his situation would be like going on a long vacation and when you finally get home and park in your driveway you continue to sleep and live in your car.  Your house is right there but your stuck in the car.  For Joshua, it's more like finding a great home you could own, turn key with everything you dreamed of, then destroying it and living in a tent in the backyard.

I'm sure each of these people had a hard time following God's commands.  They could see the thing they wanted to desperately but could not take possession of it.  Like always, God has a plan.  Noah couldn't leave the ark because the recently flooded earth could not yet sustain the vegetation necessary to ensure the survival of the animals on the ark.  But on the ark they had food and water enough to survive.  So even though they were cramped, tired and probably a little stinky, their best bet for long term survival was to stay put.  For Joshua and his people the same was true.  God knew that if the people took possession of these early cities they would become comfortable and loose the will to fight.  The result would have been disastrous.  The foreign peoples living in the area would have had a much bigger and quicker impact on the Israelites, turning their hearts to foreign gods and intermarrying - this was forbidden by God.

In the end each story would have turned out the same, the best situation for survival both physical and spiritual would have been lost had Noah or Joshua not listened to God.

Sometimes we don't understand the motives of God.  Why He tells us to wait or tells us know when what we desire looks so appealing and perfect for us.  But we can only see what is right in front of us, God sees how those decisions and actions will affect us, our children, our churches our faith, our relationships and our spiritual health.  He is not interested in our short-term comfort He is interested in our long-term health.

So the next time you really want something but it seems God is holding back, pause.  Remember Noah and Joshua and trust that God has a better plan for you than you do.  And there is a reason and purpose behind everything He does - always.  God does not make split decisions or have knee-jerk reactions.

Consider this, every decision God makes was actually made before the foundations of the world were laid.  He's had an eternity to ponder them and consider every possible outcome.  With millennia at His disposal He has planned every decision and every event and every action to be perfect.  Trust Him a little.  He's earned it.