My Inheritance

So the Lord gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it. And the Lord gave them rest on every side, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers, and no one of all their enemies stood before them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hand. Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass. 
Joshua 21:43-45

 As I sit here this morning on Christmas eve, reading in Joshua, I reflect on this year. And what I keep hearing Him whisper is His unchanging promises. What He has said before, it will come to pass. He always finishes what He starts. What has God said to you that you have given up on? Maybe too much time has filled the space between then and now. Maybe too many obstacles appear before you. Maybe you are not where you were with Him since He spoke it to you. But He always finishes what He starts.

Joshua is a pretty remarkable, albeit long tale of allotments of inheritance(!). I swear, 8 chapters seem to be dedicated to going through precisely which land by which river in which geographical location in relation to other allotments God has alloted for each tribe. I admit, I skimmed past all of this...but Joshua has been so great to read. A few things I have been taking from it: 

• Just because God promises something, doesn't mean it won't require everything from you to make it happen.  

 God said there would be a promise land. He made it clear that it would be theirs and that the wandering time would be over. But I was surprised to see even after that desert place they endured, they had to fight so many battles to conquer and win it over. And while God always went before them and gave them their enemies, they had to fight. I'm sure it required stepping out in faith more times than not while coming up against seemingly insurmountable obstacles. I envision battle scenes, blood and sweat, heavy breathing and shaking knees. But God always came through. 

•  The battles you are fighting now have consequence for more than just your life. 

 Joshua 14:9 says "The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly" When I read this, I remembered that time years ago before battles in my own life began where God promised that every generational thing would stop with me; Alcoholism, drug abuse, insecurity, rebellion, hard heartedness,wandering, anger, abuse. It stopped with me if I said yes. If I agreed to what He was asking of me and endured the uprooting and fight, it stopped. I remember getting an image in my head of standing on a huge flight of stairs. I had my hands stretched out towards the top of the stairs, holding back what seemed like gallons of black tar and sludge. And it stopped right where my feet stood. What does all of that mean? My decisions would effect generations after me. My children wouldn't know what I knew or my mother knew or her mother knew. It started new. And it started with my 'yes'.

• Once your inheritance is given, you have to make a concious decision to go from what you were to taking up what you're called to be.

These men and women fought for the promise. God came through. The story of Joshua for many chapters talks, as I said, about allotment over allotment. But right in the middle of the tale this scripture stands out: Joshua 18:3 "So Joshua said to the Israelites, "How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you?" What?! You'd think they'd be ecstatic. Here was the time, the moment they had been waiting for. What was keeping them? I am no biblical scholar, but sometimes I see symbols and parallels in my own life. I think change was scary. They only knew what they had always known. Maybe they didn't even know how to function like this. How to take the land and start this new season. And change, even if what you're in is miserable, is sometimes scarier than just staying where you are. But pick it up, and walk in that promise you have been working towards!

And then, my favorite part of all of this entire story in Joshua. What I read that made me take a step back and realize what season I am really in,

"So the Lord gave Israel all the land He had sworn to give their forefathers, and they took posession of it and settled there. The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as He had sworn to their forefathers. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord handed all their enemies over to them. Not one of all the Lord's good promises to the house of Israel failed, every one was fulfilled"

And that's when I saw clearly. It's almost like a child having a dream, kicking and functioning as if the dream was real...and they wake up and realize where they actually are. My wandering time in the dessert is over, my battling for my inheritance and the promises of God is over, and here I stand...my inheritance carved out for me, He has delivered all my enemies into my hands, and all He said He would do He did. And now, I have to decide to take posession of it. To now fully function and live in that new season. It is radically different from everything I have known and requires setting down everything I used to be familiar with. It requires me to be willing to come into a new season, even. Settling here. Rest on every side. This doesn't mean the battling stops or that new things won't be required of me, but I have to settle into this new land He has given me. Make it my own. Accept the rest He promised.

So thank you, Lord. For coming through on all Your promises. And for then, setting us down in the middle of safe pastures. Thank you for being who You said you are. And for doing what You said You'd do. I thank you for chance after chance. I thank you for patience, grace, and redemptive power.

And thank You for the kisses of Your word.

Help me to take possession of my inheritance, of the allotment.

xoxo,

mp